Starting Over
by Slayer70
Summary: Sequel to Jobs. Chapter 25 is up! The conclusion. The last members of the gang face their trials against previous big bads. After the trials, the last few face off against the Goddess. While she's getting beaten, Buffy remembers her secret weapon.
1. Starting Over: Episode 1

Starting Over

Episode 1

_Last Season on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: _

_            Buffy defeated the First Evil for good, with the help of her friends, the potentials, and a mystical weapon. Spike died in the Hellmouth during the battle. The amulet that he was wearing closed the Hellmouth in Sunnydale and completely destroyed the entire town. The gang, minus Buffy, escaped the collapsing town on a school bus. Giles and Wood were acting very strange and refused to let Buffy catch up. Buffy escaped Sunnydale in a car. _

Unknown Location:

            Buffy was now driving along through the desert. She had to find civilization soon. She was hungry and needed rest. She had the radio cranked and the windows down. As she sped along, all she could think about were her friends and of the person she lost.

            After driving for a day, she finally came upon a small town. It was like one of those old Western towns in the movies. She parked the car and got out. She walked around. The town seemed deserted.

            There was something very strange and disturbing about this place. She searched the whole town, but couldn't find anyone at all. She had finally reached the far edge of town and stopped to rest for a while.

            While she sat, the sun began to set. She could feel the evil radiating from this small, old Western town now. And she didn't like that feeling. She began to get fearful. She didn't want to face another evil. She was through being a slayer. She had already made the ultimate sacrifice.

            As the sun continued to set, she hurriedly returned to her car. She did not want to get stuck in this town after dark. It was now a race against time. She had to get out of there before she ran into anything.

            That's when a small band of vampires emerged from one the buildings. They all wore cowboy hats and looked like cowbows. She had no clue that they were vampires at first, but quickly realized it as the stood in her path.

            "Well look what we have here," the first one said.

            "It seems to be a little lost girly," the second put in.

            "Oh it has been a while since we had fresh human blood," said the third.

            "Yes, it has," the first agreed.

            The three vampires began to approach Buffy. She stopped and began to look for an alternate escape. She found none. It looked like she had to fight.

            "This will be such an easy kill," the second vampire said.

            The three slowly began circling Buffy, preparing for the kill. They were clearly hungry. They had revealed their fangs and their brows were pushed up. They snarled as they closed in on her. Buffy glanced around, looking for anything that she could use for a stake. She noticed the railing of the salon was made of wood.

            The second vampire lunged at her, while the other two continued circling. Buffy stepped calmly out of the way. The vampire landed face first in the dirt. The third ran at her, fangs bared. She tripped him, causing him to hit the ground. She grabbed the first vampire, when it ran at her, and tossed it into the wooden railing. It exploded into thousands of splinters.

            She bent down to pick up a broke piece of wood as the three vampires came to their senses and attacked once again. As the first one charged her, she gave it a roundhouse kick to the face, breaking its nose. She threw him away and stood ready to face the remaining two. It was a standoff. Buffy was on one side, while the other two vampires were on the other.

Salt Lake City, Utah:

            The gang had left Los Angeles the previous day. Giles had informed Angel that Buffy had died during the battle. Unfortunately, Willow had told Angel that Giles and Wood had let her die.

_"Buffy died in the battle," Giles informed Angel, "She showed great courage and leadership."_

_            "I see," Angel replied, solemnly "At least she died a hero. I'm going to miss her. I just wish I was there when she died."_

_            Giles had gone into the Wolfram and Hart building that Angel had come to own. He had brought __Willow__ in with him. They were inside Angel's office, Giles telling everything that had happened._

_            "Enough!" __Willow__ shouted, finally snapping, "I can't take this anymore!"_

_            "What's wrong, Willow?" Angel questioned._

_            "Buffy didn't die in battle," __Willow__ informed, "She died when the town collapsed. And Giles let her die. He wouldn't allow her to catch up to our bus. He betrayed her."_

_            "You lied to me?" Angel asked the former Watcher, calmly._

_           "Angel, you have to understand," Giles said, "It was for our own good. If we had stopped to let her catch up, we all would have died. The collapsing town would have swallowed us all up."_

_            "That's beside the point, Giles," Angel said, his voice filling with anger, "You let her die after she saved all your lives, after she saved the world. She was there, protecting you for many years and this is how you repay her, by letting her die? You disgust me!"_

_           Giles didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe that __Willow__ had opened her mouth and revealed the truth. He was angry with her._

_            "Get out of my office!" Angel shouted, furiously, "Get out of this city!"_

Willow remembered his words all too clearly. She knew that they all deserved that. They deserved getting yelled at by Angel. They also deserved much more than just yelling.

            The bus drove silently into Salt Lake City. Everyone was quiet. No one wanted to get attacked by the two older men. Giles rose from his seat and faced everyone. He took off his glasses, cleaning them on his shirt.

            "We are not stopping here," he told them all, after clearing his throat, "Our destination is Haynesville, Louisiana."

            "Where?" Wood questioned.

            "Haynesville is the location of another Hellmouth. We are going to attempt to stop the evil there," Giles answered.

            "Wait a minute," Xander said, standing up, "You're telling me that we're headed to some no where town in Louisiana?"

            "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am," Giles replied

            No one argued with the authority. They had no choice in the matter. Faith was still out of it. She had regained consciousness, but was not prepared to start another argument over leadership.

            "If anyone wants to get something, get it now!" Giles shouted.

            No one got up to leave. They all just sat there, still stunned. They all feared being left behind. Wood closed the bus doors and drove the bus through Salt Lake City and headed southeast.

Unknown Location:

            The first vampire rose to its feet. Buffy was still facing off against the other two, that she didn't even notice him. The vampire charged Buffy and jumped onto her back. She furiously tried flipping him off, but was unsuccessful. This vampire was not about to give up. He finally managed to get her on the ground.

            The other two vamps closed in on her as the first one held her to the ground. Buffy did not fight back. She didn't have the will to go on any longer. The first vampire moved in for the kill. He was hungry; all three of them were. Buffy closed her eyes and prepared for the minor pain of the bite. She could now feel the moist, warm vampire breath on her neck.

            That's when she heard shouting and fighting. She opened her eyes and saw the three vampires fighting off a shadowy figure. She watched in awe as the figure quickly staked all three vampires. The dust blew away in the light desert breeze.

            The figure approached her very cautiously. It held the stake in an attack position, ready to stake her.

            "Who are you?" the figure questioned.

            Buffy didn't answer. She just lay there, staring at the shadowy figure. The features came into view and she realized that it was a man. The man now realized that Buffy was not a threat and slid the stake into his belt. He reached a hand out. She reached up and held on. He carefully pulled her to her feet. They both stared at each other for a few moments.

            "What's a pretty lady like you doing out here?" the man asked, breaking the silence.

            "Oh, it's a long story," Buffy replied, "You wouldn't believe me if I told it to you."

            "I see," he replied.

            Buffy continued eying up the man. He wore dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a solid, button-down shirt that was open. He had kind of long, blond hair and blue eyes.

            "What's your name?" he asked.

            "Buffy."

            "Hello Buffy, my name is Axel."

            "It's nice to meet you Axel. If you don't mind me asking, how did you do that?"

            "Do what?"

            "How did you defeat those vampires?"

            "Oh, so you do know about vampires. Well, I am an ordinary guy. I just own a business where I slay vampires."

            "I see. Any particular reason why?"

            "Well ever since I was a little boy, I've heard stories of a mysterious girl that was called to defend the world against evil. You know, this is sort of silly."

            "No it's not. Go on."

            "You sure now?"

            "Yes, I am."

            "Okay, anyways this girl is known as the slayer. I've always wanted to meet her. The only problem is I don't know if the story is true or a myth. Well, I discovered that vampires were real and realized that if the slayer was real that I could meet her by slaying vampires."

            "I see. That's an interesting story you got there."

            "You're a very nice young lady. I should bring you back to my hometown. This abandoned town is very dangerous. It's crawling with vampires at night."

            "Thanks very much, but I couldn't."

            "And why not?"

             "I'm on a mission; I guess that's what you could call it. I'm looking for my friends."

            "I see. I'm sure that you'll run into them somewhere. You sure ain't gonna find them around this old place."

            "Alright Axel, I'll take you up on your offer."

            "Come on now, my van's over this way."

            He and Buffy walked back to where Buffy had parked her car. There, next to hers, was a large gray van. He opened the driver's side door and got in. Buffy got in next to him. He started the vehicle and they sped off into the night.

            "So where's this home town of yours at?" Buffy asked.

            "Haynesville, Louisiana," he replied, "I know it's a long way off, but we should be there in a few days. It's a nice quiet town, I'm sure you'll really enjoy it there."

            Buffy smiled as they drove. She had finally found someone like her, a new friend possibly. She realized now that she had just started over. Her new life had just begun, or what she considered to be her new life.


	2. Traveling to the Hellmouth: Episode 2

Traveling to the Hellmouth

Episode 2

Somewhere in Nevada:

            "So, you never did tell me what you were doing out in that old town," Axel said as he drove.

            "I told you before, it's a long story and you probably wouldn't believe me," she replied.

            "Oh that's right," he said, "Well where do you come from?"

            "Hmm…I originally came from Los Angeles, but I was living in a small town called Sunnydale for a while," she answered.

            "Wait a second!" Axel exclaimed, "You lived in Sunnydale?"

            "Yes, why?" she asked.

            "You weren't by any chance there when that whole town just collapsed, were you?" he asked.

            "To tell you the truth, yes I was," she replied.

            "Whoa!" he exclaimed, "Do you have any details on why it collapsed?"

            "No, I'm sorry," she lied.

            "Its okay," he said, "All that I know is that town had evil brewing from it. It was extremely dangerous."

            "Really?" she lied, "I've lived there for like 9 years and I didn't notice anything evil."

            "Well, I don't actually know that it was evil. I just know stuff from what I've heard," he told her.

            "So what's Haynesville like?" Buffy asked.

            "Well, it's a little like Sunnydale, I guess," he began, "Although, it's a lot warmer and more humid. You'll get used to it pretty quickly."

            "I see," Buffy replied.

            They two of them had been traveling in Axel's van for a few days now.  Buffy was mainly quiet, but she had decided that she should get used to this new friend. After the long conversation they had, Buffy decided to sit and think for a while.

            She thought about Sunnydale, her friends, and Spike. She loved him, but he didn't believe her. That upset her, but there was nothing she could do now. She should have told him sooner. He had sacrificed himself to save them, to save her, to save the world. She missed him so much. But she knew that she couldn't dwell on him, she had to move on.

Rest Stop somewhere in Texas:

            The bus drove into a small rest stop somewhere in the middle of Texas. They were close to Louisiana. Giles and Wood were allowing everyone to have an hour break since they hadn't one in a few days.

            Willow, Xander, Faith, Andrew, and Kennedy were all sitting around a small table eating lunch. Jake had taken the other potential slayers for a short walk. The others wanted to talk and didn't want the other potentials around.

            "I'm scared," Willow admitted, "Giles and Wood are getting weird. I still don't understand why they let Buffy die."

            "Neither do I," Xander agreed, "We have to figure out what is wrong with those two."

            "Do you think it's some kind of spell?" Kennedy asked.

            "Who knows," Willow said.

            "Could it have something to do with the fact that they almost witnessed the end?" Faith asked, "I mean like did they see their lives past before their eyes and that terrified them?"

            "I'm not sure," Willow answered, "It could be anything."

            "I got it!" Andrew exclaimed.

            "Not now," Xander told him, "Just be quiet."

            "Come on, I think I might know what's wrong with them!" he exclaimed.

            "No," Xander said, "Stop talking."

            "Don't you think you should let me talk?" Andrew questioned, "What if I'm right?"

            "See, this is why we should have sent him with Jake and the others," Xander murmured. 

            "Just let the nerd say what he wants, Xand," Faith said.

            "Alright, go ahead," Xander said, giving in, "But make it fast."

            "Okay, so what if the First appeared to them, you know like before the town collapsed, and told them that if they let her on that she would end up going bad and killing all of us," Andrew told them.

            "You know what," Faith said.

            "What?" Kennedy questioned.

            "The nerd has a good point," Faith went on, "I mean maybe the First scared them before everything caved in. It's a good possibility, right?"

            "I guess," Willow said, "It's the only thing we have to work with right now."

            "We should try and take over!" Andrew exclaimed.

            "What are you talking about?" Kennedy questioned.

            "We should fight off Mr. Giles and Mr. Wood and take control," he said.

            "That's not a bad idea," Willow replied.

            "I have a better idea," Faith interrupted, "I think that as soon as we get to this tiny town, that we ditch the Watcher and the principal."

            "What?" Xander questioned.

            "Come on!" Faith exclaimed, "They can't contain us there. We can run from them and then find some place to stay."

            "Hmm…" Xander pondered, "That'd work."

            "Yeah, that's a good idea," Willow agreed.

            "I agree," Kennedy said.

            "Alright then it's final," Faith said, "As soon as we get to town, we run, and find somewhere to stay."

            "What about Jake and the girls?" Willow asked.

            "What about them?" Faith questioned.

            "Well, are we just going to abandon them?" she asked.

            "For the time being, but we'll come back for them," Faith replied.

            "Alright!" Giles shouted, coming into the rest stop, "We're leaving!"

            The five of them got up from the table and left. Jake and the girls followed behind shortly. As soon as everyone was on the bus, Wood started it and they sped away towards their destination.

Somewhere in Louisiana:

            "We're almost there," Axel informed as he drove on.

            Of course Buffy didn't hear him, because she was fast asleep. It was the first time that she'd been able to sleep in a long while. Axel continued to drive on. He couldn't wait to get back home. He liked this girl a lot and wanted to show her off to the folks back home. He saw the sign saying how far it was to Haynesville, only 35 more miles to go.

            Buffy was slouched in her seat, fast asleep. She began to turn in her sleep.

_"Slayer," someone whispered._

_            Buffy jolted awake. She quickly sat up, glancing around. She was lying on a bed, somewhere._

_            "You don't recognize my voice when you here it?" she asked._

_            Buffy looked around until she finally realized that the source of the voice was standing next to her. _

_            "You," Buffy said, "The first slayer."_

_            "You are headed for danger," the first slayer informed._

_            "What kind of danger?" Buffy questioned._

_            "Well, you aren't exactly heading towards a nice, quiet town," the first slayer replied._

_            "What do you mean?" Buffy asked._

_            "You are headed for a place where evil is drawn to," the first slayer continued, "You will meet up with old acquaintances there and you duty will continue."_

_            "A Hellmouth?" Buffy questioned._

_            "In this place, danger lurks around every corner," the first slayer went on._

_            "The First Evil?" Buffy questioned, "Will I have to fight it again?"_

_            "It fears you, slayer. Until it gains more power, it will leave you be. But beware of this place. Beware," the first slayer repeated that several times._

_            "Wait!" Buffy called, "Where are you going? Come back!"_

_            "Beware."_

Suddenly, Buffy snapped awake. She was back in the car and Axel was seated beside her, driving. 

            "Bad dream?" he questioned.

            "Yeah, I guess you could say that," she replied, "Say is there anything…uhh…you know, different about Haynesville?"

            "What do you mean?" he asked.

            "Like anything peculiar?" she questioned.

            "Not that I know of," he replied, "I mean, like I said before, I own a vampire slaying business. There are vampires there, but that's about it. That's a little peculiar, I guess."

            "I see," she replied.

            "Any reason?" he asked.

            "Just wondering," she answered.

            "All right," he said, "By the way, we'll be there in about twenty minutes."

Haynesville, Louisiana:

            It was dark out when the school bus pulled into a hotel parking lot in town. They had finally made it. Giles and Wood were relieved. They had gotten there sooner than expected. 

            "I guess we're here," Xander whispered to Willow.

            "Yeah, I think we are," she replied.

            Wood had gotten off the bus and went into the hotel. A few minutes later, he returned. He whispered something to Giles, who then stood up.

            "All right!" Giles shouted, "It looks as if we'll be spending another night on this bus. Tomorrow we will look around for some place to rent. Goodnight."

            Wood turned the bus off and slid the key into his pocket. The lights went out and everyone lay down, trying to sleep. Giles and Wood were fast asleep in a matter of minutes. Due to her slayer senses, Faith noticed this.

            She slowly stood up and headed over towards Willow and Xander's seats. She tapped them on the shoulder and they sat up.

            "They're both asleep," she whispered, "Now's the time to put the plan into action. Xander, wake up Andrew. Willow, you get Kennedy. Be quiet though!"

            They managed to wake the other two up and Faith silently pushed open the back door of the bus. She helped the others out first and then jumped down herself. She carefully and quietly closed the door. She followed the other for a few ways down the street.

            "Okay, so what now?" Xander questioned, adjusting his eye patch.

            "Well considering that this place has a Hellmouth beneath it, I suggest we find a place to stay," Faith informed.

            "Sounds good," Andrew replied.

            The five of them continued walking down the street. This was a quiet southern town. It was a little too quiet. Faith didn't like it at all. She knew that something evil was around.

           As they walked by an alley, three vampires jumped out at them. Faith reached into her pocket and pulled out a stake. 

            "Are you three the welcoming committee?" she questioned.

            "Who are you, girly?" the one asked.

            Xander, Willow, Kennedy, and Andrew backed up to observe this small fight from a distance. They didn't want to get hurt. Besides, Faith could handle it.

            "Well, let's just say I'm not a friend," she said, giving the middle vampire a side kick to the head.

            It fell to the ground. The other two attacked. One kicked her, but she caught its foot in midair and tossed it aside. The next one attempted to punch her a few times. She blocked all of the hits and gave him a few blows to the chest. Then she jabbed the stake into its heart. It turned to dust.

            The other two stood up and began backing up into the alley. They were obviously scared.

            "I guess you don't have a slayer here in town," Faith said.

            The vampires were terrified. They had never come up against a girl this strong before. They had never seen their kind get dusted by a powerful human girl.

            "Oh wait, of course you don't. There's only two," she said, answering her own question.

            "You're a slayer?" one vamp questioned, still backing up.

            "Faith!" Xander called, "Stop playing and dust them!"

            Faith turned around to face him. She had an annoyed look on her face.

            "Let me do it my way!" she shouted and turned back to the vampires.

            She glanced around. They had escaped, most likely climbed up out of the alley.

            "Damn!" she shouted and headed out of the alley.

            "You'll get them later," Andrew comforted.

            "Shut up, dweeb!" she shouted, "They got away. Now they're probably gonna go tell all their friends."

            "Hey, they would have figured it out eventually," Xander said.

            "He's right, don't sweat it," Willow said.

            Faith slid her stake back in her pocket and the five continued to walk on. They were successful in finding a motel to stay in. Unfortunately, there was only one room. The five of them all had to share it.

            Meanwhile, Axel's van pulled up in front of a small store. Buffy glanced out her window and read the large sign. _Axel: Exterminator, _it read. She smiled a little at it. The two got out of the van and headed inside the building.

            "Jason! Marie!" he called as the two of the walked into the front room.

            Moments later, a guy and girl appeared from the back. They smiled when they saw him.

            "Axel!" Marie said, coming up to hug him, "I'm glad you're back."

            "Nice to have you back, man," Jason said, knocking him on the back.

            "Who's your friend?" Marie questioned, motioning towards Buffy.

            "Oh, Marie, Jason, this is Buffy," he introduced, "Buffy, this is Jason and Marie."

            "Nice to meet you both," Buffy said, smiling.

            "Nice to meet you too," they both said at the same time.

            "What did we tell you about picking hookers up off the street?" Jason asked Axel.

            Buffy was taken aback. She didn't expect that and she certainly did not look like a hooker. She wasn't very happy now.

            "Cool it, man," Axel said, "She's cool. I found her on my way to that Sunnydale town that I've been looking for."

            "Oh, so you found it?" Marie asked.

            "Yeah, but the whole place was deserted," he replied, "Although when I went back to check it out again, there was only a crater. The whole place just collapsed."

            "So do you three fight vampires together?" Buffy questioned, interrupting their small conversation.

            Jason jabbed Axel in the back. 

            "You told her about that stuff?" Jason whispered angrily in his ear.

            "I had to," Axel whispered back, "I mean she saw me stake some."

            "Uh…yeah," Jason replied, "It's like our little business."

            "Why do you guys do it?" she questioned, "I mean, what do you all get out of slaying vampires?"

            "It's like I told you," Axel began, "We want to find the vampire slayer. And we figure if we go around slaying vampires that we'll eventually run into her."

            "We're like her fans," Marie added.

            "How do you know she exists?" Buffy asked.

            "Well, we heard some old legends about a girl chosen to fight vampires. We didn't believe it at first, but once we encountered a vampire, we figured that she must be real too," Axel answered.

            "I see," Buffy said, "Sounds interesting. I would help out, but I'll probably just get in the way."

Haynesville Central Park:

            His eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times and looked around at his whereabouts. It was dark out. The stars shone brightly in the sky. There was even a slight breeze blowing.

            He stood up and glanced around. He was in some kind of park. It wasn't any place that he knew though. He took a few steps forward and then kicked something. He glanced down and noticed some kind of necklace lying on the ground. He bent down and picked it up, then studied it for a few moments.

            He was about to toss it into the bushes, when he realized it might be worth something. He slipped it around his neck and walked away from the clearing. That's when a vision appeared in his head. He grasped his head in pain.

_"What do you want?" Buffy asked._

_            "I told you, I want to stop Angel. I want to save the world," Spike replied._

_            "Okay, you do remember you're a vampire, right?" Buffy questioned._

_"We like to talk big... vampires do. 'I'm going to destroy the world,' that's just tough-guy talk. Strutting around with your friends over a pint of blood. The truth is I…like…this world. You've got...dog racing, __Manchester__ United. And you've got people. Billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here. But then someone comes along with a vision. With a real...passion for destruction. Angel could pull it off. Good-bye, Piccadilly. Farewell, Leicester-bloody-Square," Spike replied._
    
    _               "Okay, fine. You're not down with Angel. Why would you ever come to me?" she questioned._
    
                   _"I want Dru back. I want it like it was before he came back. The way she acts around him..." he replied._
    
            _"You're pathetic," she replied, "I lost a friend tonight!"_
    
    _               "I wasn't in on that raiding party," he informed. _

_"And I may lose more! The whole earth may be sucked into hell, and you want my help 'cause your girlfriend's a big 'ho? Well, let me take this opportunity to not care," Buffy said._

He was confused. He had no clue where the image had come from. That's when his head was filled with another.

_"What's your hurry?" Spike questioned._

_"My hurry is my intense desire to get you out of my life," she said, "You tend to cause trouble."_

_"I'll be out of your life in a few short hours," he replied._

These visions were beginning to frustrate him. He had no clue at all where they were coming from. He wondered if they even had anything to do with him.

_"Don't I get a cookie?" Spike asked._

_            "No," Buffy replied._

_            "Well, I gotta have something," he said, "I still have Buffy taste in my mouth."_

_            "You're a pig, Spike," she said._

_            "Yeah, well, I'm not the one who wanted 'Wind Beneath My Wings' for the first dance," he said._

_            "That was the spell," Buffy replied, obviously embarrassed._

He didn't understand what was going on. The visions were driving him crazy. He wasn't sure what they were. Maybe they were trying to tell him something. Considering that he didn't remember his past, maybe they had something to do with it.

            He walked out of the park and onto the street. Lucky for him, the visions had finally stopped. He desperately needed help. As he continued walking down the street, one name popped into his head.

            "Buffy," he said.


	3. Reunion: Episode 3, Part I

Reunion

Episode 3 (Part I)

Haynesville, Louisiana:

            Buffy had gone off by herself tonight. Axel and his friends had gone off looking for vampires. As far as she knew, this was her new life. She wasn't about to start slaying vampires in this town. She wanted to leave her past behind her and now she could do it.

            She was wandering around town, looking for stores to shop in. She needed some new clothes. After all, her stuff was gone. She had already bought a few things and was searching for somewhere to eat.

            She wandered around until she finally found a small pizza parlor. She was starving and had a craving for pizza. She opened the door and saw something that she'd never thought she'd ever see again.

            "Buffy?!?" Willow questioned, getting up for a table, "Oh my god, Buffy, it is you!"

            Willow ran over and embraced her in a big hug. Buffy smiled.

            _"So much for forgetting my past," she said in her head._

Willow let go and Buffy noticed others, Faith, Xander, Kennedy, and Andrew. They all smiled, except for Xander. He seemed out of it.

            "Hey B!" Faith exclaimed.

            "Buffy, what are you doing here?" Willow questioned.

            "It's a long story," she informed.

            "Why don't you come on over and have a seat? You can tell us about it," Xander called, breaking out of his trance.

            Buffy walked over to her friends, Willow followed. She pulled a chair over and sat down. Willow sat back down in her seat too.

            "We thought we lost you back there, B," Faith told her.

            "I thought I'd lost you guys forever," Buffy replied, "Where's Giles, Robin, and the others?"

            "We'll explain after you tell us you're story," Xander said, fixing his eye patch.

            "And start where we last saw you," Faith added.

            "Alright," Buffy began, "Well, we all got out of the Hellmouth. Then I heard Spike call my name and realized he wasn't behind us. The amulet had him pinned in place and its power began destroying the cavern. I left him and I'm certain that he died. Well, I got out of the school and began chasing your bus. I jumped from roof to roof, but could catch up. I found a car and began driving after you. Then a building collapsed, blocking the road and I couldn't catch up. I found another way out of Sunnydale and discovered a deserted town somewhere. I was attacked by vampires, but some handsome young guy rescued me. We came here, since it's his hometown and I was wandering around here, buying things."

            "You found a guy in the middle of the desert?" Faith questioned.

            "Yeah, he's pretty cool," she replied.

            "Does he know about you being the slayer?" Willow asked.

            "No, although he's goal is to meet the slayer," she replied, "He slays vampires so that hopefully someday he will meet the slayer."

            "Why didn't you tell him then?" Xander questioned.

            "Well, I figured that I'd lost you guys forever and that I could start over," she said.

            "Oh," Willow replied.

            "Let's here your story," she said.

            "Okay, well to tell you the truth," Xander began, "Something is wrong with Wood and Giles. They've been acting really weird. They purposely left you behind. We think something frightened them. Well when we got here last night, the five of us snuck off the bus and got a motel room."

            "Something is wrong with them?" Buffy questioned.

            "Yeah," Willow replied.

            "Andrew thinks the First appeared before the Hellmouth collapsed and told them that you would kill everyone if they waited for you," Kennedy informed.

            "And it's what we've been working off of for now," Faith added, "We have nothing else."

            "It sounds like a reasonable explanation," Buffy said, "I should check it out, you know, investigate."

            "No!" Xander yelled.

            "Buffy, we can't risk them hurting you," Willow said.

            "I'm the slayer," Buffy replied, "What's the worst those two could possibly do?"

            "I dunno, B," Faith put in, "Wood knocked me out when I tried to get them to wait up for you."

            "How'd he do that?" Buffy questioned.

            "With a fire extinguisher," she answered.

            "Oh," Buffy said, "Look, we have to find out what's wrong and help them. I guess I shouldn't try to avoid my past anymore. I will always be the slayer as long as I'm alive."

            The others all nodded in agreement. They were glad that they found their friend.

            "So B, what are we gonna meet this handsome vampire-slaying guy?" Faith asked.

            "I'm not sure," she replied, "Why don't we all sleep on it?"

            "Sounds good," Willow said.

            "We'll meet up sometime later," Faith added.

            "Alright, see you guys later," Buffy said.

            She turned and headed out of the pizza parlor. She was tired, but was glad that she found her friends. She wondered what she was going to do about Axel. Could she tell him who she really was? She didn't know what to do.

            Buffy walked down the street, towards Axel's place. She was almost there, when she bumped into some man wearing a leather duster. He fell on his back. Buffy walked over and helped him to his feet.

            "Spike?" she questioned, looking at him up and down.

          The man panicked and fled from her. Buffy took off after him. She knew that Spike had died, but was this really him? This man looked exactly like him. She was in love with Spike, but was she so in love that she was seeing him in other people.

            The man ran into an alleyway and came to a tall wooden fence. He stopped and caught his breath. That woman, she had looked so familiar to him. A vision appeared in his head once again.

_"We're not all gonna make it," Buffy said._

_            "Yeah, hey, always knew I'd go down fightin'," Spike replied._

_            "I'm counting on you…to protect her," she went on._

_            "Till the end of the world," he said, "Even if it happens to be tonight."_

_            "I'll be a minute," she told him as she headed up the stairs._

_            "Yeah," he began, "I know you'll never love me. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man. And that's…get your stuff, I'll be here."_

The man gripped his head as he stared at the large wooden fence. He began to panic again. He knew that the woman was going to find him very soon. He was trying to remember. These visions were driving him crazy. He wondered if they were trying to tell him something.

_"Buff...Slayer? Are you okay?" Spike questioned._

_            "I'm here," she answered, "I'm good."_

_            "Buffy," Spike began, "If you're in…if you're in pain…or if you need anything…or if I can do anything for you…"_

_            "You can't," she replied sternly._

_            "Well, I haven't been to a hell dimension just of late," he went on, "but I do know a thing or two about torment."_

_            "I was happy," Buffy said, "Wherever I...was...I was happy. At peace. I knew that everyone I cared about was all right. I knew it. Time...didn't mean anything...nothing had form...but I was still me, you know? And I was warm...and I was loved...and I was finished. Complete. I don't understand about theology or dimensions, or...any of it, really...but I think I was in heaven. And now I'm not. I was torn out of there. Pulled out...by my friends. Everything here is...hard, and bright, and violent. Everything I feel, everything I touch...this is Hell. Just getting through the next moment, and the one after that...knowing what I've lost...They can never know. Never."_

The man gripped his head and shouted in pain. The memories, they were all flooding back into him all at once. They were confusing him, making him go insane

_"I'm sorry," Spike told her, "Not that it matters anymore, but I need you to know that."_

_            "Why?" she questioned._

_            "Because I care about you," he replied._

_            "Then you might want to try not sleeping with my friends," she countered._

_            "I didn't go to Anya for that," he informed, "I was looking for a spell."_

_            "You were going to use a spell on me?" she questioned._

_            "It wasn't for you. I wanted something," he went on, "Anything to make these feelings stop! You should have let him kill me."_

_            "I couldn't do that," she replied._

_            "Why?" he asked._

_            "You know why," she answered._

_            "Because you love me," he answered his own question._

_            "No. I don't," she said._

_            "Why do you keep lying to yourself?" he asked._

_            "How many times do…I have feelings for you," she told him, "But it's not love. I could never trust you enough for it to be love."_

_            "Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy," he said, "Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes."_

_            "Until there's nothing left," she finished, "Real love like that doesn't last."_

_            Spike came at her. He attempted to attack her._

_            "I'm gonna make you feel it," he shouted, knocking her against the bathtub, bruising her leg._

_            She began to cry in fear as she fought back. Finally she gathered up all her strength and kicked him backwards into the wall. She slowly rose to her feet._

_            "Ask me again why I could never love you!" she shouted, tears rolling down her face._

_            "Buffy, my god…I didn't," Spike said, trying to put together what had just happened._

_            "Because I stopped you!" she shouted, "Something I should have done a long time ago!"_

The man cried out in horror as this final image flashed through his mind. He was horrified. He couldn't believe that he had done something like that to the woman he loved. Tears began to roll down his face.

            "Spike!" Buffy called, turning into the alley.

            The man gathered his strength and pulled himself up and over the wooden fence. Buffy watched in surprise as he disappeared over the fence. Now she would never know who that person was. 

The Next Day:

"I'm glad to see you awake," Axel said as Buffy walked into the lobby of the store.

            "Good morning," she said, brushing her hair away from her face.

            "Sorry, we were out late last night," he apologized.

            "It's all right," she replied, "I went out shopping, got a bite to eat, and came back here and went to bed."

            "Sounded like fun," he said.

            "Oh, it was," she said, "So how was the vampire killing last night?"

            "It was slow," he answered, "There weren't really any vampires. It's like they're all afraid of something."

            "I wonder what could scare them," she lied, thinking of the fact that Faith had probably already slain a vampire or two.

            "You know, tonight, you should come with us," he told her, "Just to see what its like."

            "I already know," she mumbled under her breath.

            "What was that?" Axel questioned.

            "Nothing," she lied, "I'll go. I have to go out for a little while."

Hotel Parking Lot:

            "I cannot believe that Faith and the others left!" Giles shouted, "We should have suspected something!"

            "Calm down, Rupert," Wood said, "We'll find them. It's a small town, shouldn't be hard to locate them."

            "You're right," he said, "Although we should get information from the others."

            Giles turned and faced the girls and Jake. He did not look very happy at all. The girls all trembled in fear. They didn't want to be hurt. 

            "Where are they, boy?" Giles demanded.

            "You think I have any idea?" Jake questioned, "They never tell me anything."

            "That's likely," Wood added, "Quit lying and save yourself from getting hurt."

            "Hey! Come on, now!" Jake exclaimed, "I have nothing to do with this and neither do the girls. Don't take it out on us!"

            "We'll do what we choose!" Giles snapped.

            "Look, I don't know what happened to the two of you," Jake began, "But it's really starting to scare me."

            "Nothing is wrong with us!" Wood snapped, "But something may end up being wrong with you if you don't tell us where Faith and the others went."

            "I already told you!" Jake shouted, standing up, "I don't know!"

            Giles swung his fist, knocking Jake back into the seat. Blood dripped from his nose. Julia screamed and rose to her feet. She grabbed Giles' fist just before he was about to punch Jake again.

            "Stop!" she screamed, "Don't hurt him!"

            "Oh and why not?" he asked.

            "He didn't do anything to you, either of you!" she shouted, "Just leave him alone!"

            Jake slowly stood up, rubbing his nose. It hurt a little, but he'd be okay.

            "You know, I'm really starting to not like you," Jake commented.

            That set Giles off once again. He brought back his fist and swung again. This time, it connected with his jaw. Jake fell into the seat, once again. He stood up and charged Giles. All this time, Wood stood at the front of the bus, watching this fight. 

            Both men fell to the ground. Jake brought his fist down and pummeled Giles in the face. He soon lost this upper hand and was flipped backwards. Jake skidded along the floor of the bus. Julia screamed in horror as she watched. Giles rose to his feet and walked towards Jake. Wood stepped forward and came up to Jake's other side. He was surrounded. 

            Giles grabbed him by the neck, tossing him into one of the seats. Julia screamed again. Jake gasped in pain. Now both Giles and Wood were standing in the front, ready to attack Jake again. Giles moved closer.

            Just as he was about to punch Jake again, someone came crashing through the windshield. Giles and Wood were brought to the ground. Glass shattered everywhere. The girls, who were sitting in the back, stood up to see what had come through the windshield.

            The person stood up. She had shoulder-length blond hair and looked very familiar.

            "Just because you're both friends, doesn't mean I won't hurt you," Buffy said.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Reunion: Episode 4, Part II

Reunion

Episode 4 (Part II)

Hotel Parking Lot:

            "Buffy?" Giles questioned, slowly standing up, "But you're dead?"

            "Almost, but not quite," she replied, "No thanks to you."

            She swung her fist, hitting Giles across the jaw. Giles fell backwards to the ground.

            "It was right," Wood said aloud, attempting to punch Buffy, "She is trying to kill us."

            Buffy caught his fist in mid-swing and gave him a quick punch to the chest. Wood fell back into a seat.

            "I'm not trying to kill you," she said, "I'm trying to help you."

            Giles crawled up and grabbed her by the legs. She fell on her back, hitting her head on the floor. He took this opportunity to stand up and advance on her.

            "We thought we had saved ourselves and everyone by leaving you to die in the collapsing town," Giles told her, "Somehow you escaped, so we're gonna have to kill you ourselves."

            Buffy brought her legs up and used them to flip Giles over her. The man smashed through the windshield and landed in the parking lot. Buffy got to her feet and faced an onslaught of punches from Wood. She blocked most of them and then returned the favor. 

            She managed to knock him out by hitting him into the window. It shattered, knocking him out cold. Buffy turned to face the potentials and Jake.

            "Are you all okay?" Buffy questioned.

            "Yeah, I think I'll be fine," Jake said, slowly rising to his feet.

            He brushed himself off and Julia ran up to help him. She was so scared when Giles and Wood were hitting him. She thought they were going to kill him. She was calm now.

            "Look, all of you are coming with me," Buffy informed.

            "Where are we going?" Vi questioned.

            "I'm not sure yet," she replied, "We're just going somewhere safe."

            Buffy bent down and picked up Robin. She tossed him into a seat, and then glanced through the windshield. Giles was still lying in the parking lot, surrounded by glass and was bloody. She turned and faced the girls and Jake.

            "Let's go," she said and exited the bus.

            The girls and Jake followed her off the bus. They were all so relieved that she had come back and saved them from the two men. Buffy told them to just keep walking down the street. She brought up the rear, Jake led.

            That's when she noticed something. Most of the girls were missing, they had died. The only ones remaining were Julia, Danielle, Liz, Vi, Eve, and Ashley. There was also Kennedy. That only left seven girls. She had a big group of them back home in Sunnydale, but now very few were left. 

            Jake led the girls around the corner and Buffy directed them behind a pizza parlor. They all were puzzled as to why they were there. 

            "I'll be right back," she told them, "Just stay here."

            Buffy walked to the front and entered the parlor. Her friends were all sitting there, eating lunch. Faith looked up and noticed her.

            "Hey B!" she called, "Better late than never!"

            "Sorry," Buffy replied, coming over to the table, "I had to check something out."

            "Oh?" Willow questioned, "Dangerous?"

            "No," Buffy answered, "Just something that needed to be taken care of."

            "I bet it was tons of fun," Xander put in.

            Xander didn't seem himself. He seemed lost, hurt. Buffy snapped out of her thoughts.

            "Look, you have to help me find a place for the girls to stay," Buffy blurted out.

"Girls?" Faith questioned.

            "You mean the other potential slayers?" Kennedy asked.

            "The girls who you left with Giles and Wood," Buffy answered.

            "Buffy, you went to the bus and faced them?" Willow questioned.

            "Yeah, they're out of the picture for a little while," she replied.

            "What'd you do to them?" Kennedy asked.

            "Well, Giles is lying in the parking lot, out cold," she informed, "and Wood is lying on the bus, out cold."

            "I see," Kennedy said.

            "Guys, I really think we should research the thing about them getting possessed," Andrew blurted out.

            "Shut up!" Xander snapped.

            "We have to find somewhere for the girls to stay," Buffy said, getting back on topic.

That Night:

            Buffy and the others had gotten the girls settled into a hotel. It was the same one that the others were staying in. Three girls were in a room and Jake got one to himself. He was relieved to finally get sleep and have a quiet room. 

            Buffy had to return to Axel's place. She had told him that she'd go with him when he went out slaying. She just hoped she wouldn't have to reveal her identity to him. That was one thing she couldn't do just yet.

            "I'm glad you decided to come with me," Axel said as the two walked through Central Park.

            "So am I," Buffy lied, "I want to see how you do it."

            "Well, you will learn soon enough."

            The two continued walking. They hadn't come upon anything yet, just trees and other park objects. Suddenly, out of no where, two vampires sprung out of the bushes. 

            "There's some!" Axel shouted and pulled out a crossbow.

            "What do I do?" Buffy faked panicking.

            "Take this," he said, tossing her a stake.

            Buffy caught it and stared at it. 

            "What do I do with this?" she questioned, lying.

            "You shoved it into the vampire's heart!" he shouted, "Now let's get them!"

            The vampires were now aware of the presence of Axel and Buffy. They weren't prepared for a fight. They dashed off into the trees. Axel ran to the edge of the woods.

            "Stay here," he told her, "You should be fine. I'll be right back."

            He ran off after the two vampires. Buffy stood there, twirling the stake in her hand. It had been quite a while since she used one. She located a park bench and took a seat on it.

            She glanced around, while continuing to twirl the stake. That's when she noticed something lying under a bench on the other side of the clearing. She rose to her feet and headed over to it.

            It was a person covered in a thick blanket. She didn't know if they were dead or alive, so she tapped them with her feet. It stirred and she heard a grunt. The person turned over and Buffy noticed that they were wearing a leather duster. She bent down and pulled the blanket off the face. She gasped when she saw the face.

            "Spike?" she questioned.

            The man jutted awake and looked into the eyes of a young women. She looked very familiar. Somewhere in his mind, he knew who she was. He just couldn't remember though.

_Spike was covered in wounds and was in pain. He had just passed the three tests that the demon said that he had to pass. He was exhausted and just wanted to collapse._

            _"You have endured the required trials," the demon said, staring at Spike from the shadows._

_            "Bloody right I have!" Spike said, obviously in pain, "So you give me what I want. Make me what I was so Buffy can get what she deserves."_

_            "Very well," the demon said._

_            It reached out a claw and grasped Spike's chest tightly._

_            "We will return your soul," it finished._

_            Spike shouted in pain. Something left the demon's hand and entered his body. His eyes glowed and he collapsed to the ground._

The man rose to his feet. He looked terrified. The vision that just came to him seemed familiar, like the woman. He was also very confused. That's when another vision entered his head.

_"It didn't work. Costume. Didn't help. Couldn't hide," he said._

_            "No more mind games, Spike," she told him._

_            He looked down at the ground, "No more mind games. No more mind."_

_            Buffy reached for his chest. There were scars there that were healing._

_            "Tell me what happened to you," she said._

_            Spike flinched, recoiled, and then looked her in the eyes._

_            "Hey, hey, hey! No touching. Am I flesh? Am I flesh to you? Feed on flesh. My flesh. Nothing else. Not a spark. Oh, fine. Flesh then. Solid through. Get it hard; service the girl," Spike yelled and began unzipping his jeans._

_            She smacked away his hand, disgusted, "Stop it!"_

_Spike reflexively reached up and grabbed her by the throat. Buffy grabbed his arm and threw him across the room. Spike landed on top of some pews, breaking them into pieces. He sat up a little, propped on his elbows behind him._

_"Right.__ Girl doesn't want to be serviced. Because there's no spark. Ain't we in a soddin' engine?" he said._

_Spike looked around the room. Buffy walked over to him. _

_"Spike, have you completely lost your mind?" she asked_

_"Well, yes. Where've you been all night?"_

_"You thought you would just come back here and... be with me?"_

_"First time for everything."___

_"This is all you get. I'm listening. Tell me what happened."_

_"I tried to find it, of course."_

_"Find what?"_

_"The spark.__ The missing...the piece that fit. That would make me fit. Because you didn't want...God, I can't...Not with you looking." _

_Spike stood and walked away to a nearby window. He stood there, mostly in shadow, his body directed away from her. He looked back over his shoulder at her._

_"I dreamed of killing you."_

_Keeping an eye on him, Buffy bent down to pick up a large splinter from the broken pews at her feet to use as a stake, if necessary. Spike started pacing._

_"I think they were dreams. So weak. Did you make me weak, thinking of you, holding myself, and spilling useless buckets of salt over your...ending? Angel…he should've warned me. He makes a good show of forgetting, but it's here, in me, all the time. The spark. I wanted to give you what you deserve, and I got it. They put the spark in me and now all it does is burn." _

_Buffy's face showed shock, disbelief and, finally, comprehension._

_"Your soul."___

_"Bit worse for lack of use."_

_Buffy turned to face him._

_"__You got your soul back. How?"_

_"It's what you wanted, right? It's what you wanted, right? And…and now everybody's in here, talking. Everything I did...everyone I…and him...and it...the other, the thing beneath…beneath you. It's here too. Everybody. They all just tell me go...go...to hell._

_"Why? Why would you do that…?"_

_"Buffy, shame on you.__ Why does a man do what he mustn't? For her. To be hers. To be the kind of man who would nev…to be a kind of man. _

_Spike walked toward the 6-foot-tall crucifix altarpiece at the front of the chapel. _

_"And s__he shall look on him with forgiveness, and everybody will forgive and love. He will be loved." _

_Spike's stood only a foot away from the crucifix, staring at it._

_"So everything's OK, right?" _

_Spike embraced the crucifix, resting one arm over each side of the cross bar, and rested his head in the corner of the vertex. His body sizzled and smoke rose from where it touched the cross._

_"Can…can we rest now? Buffy...can we rest?"_

This vision confused him even more. He wondered what was going on. He knew that somehow those two visions were connected. He just couldn't figure out what they had to do with.

_Spike suddenly was startled by a sudden jolt of pain._

_            "Buffy?" Spike called, "Something's happening."_

_            She turned around and looked at him. The amulet around his neck was glowing._

_            "Spike, what's going on?" she asked._

_"I can feel it," Spike shouted, "I can feel my soul…it kind of stings."_

_Suddenly, a huge column of light shot straight up through the cavern. It went up through the floors of the school and into the sky. It came from the amulet._

This last vision, the man guessed, had to do with the first two. They had something to do with a soul. He just couldn't figure out anything else. He glanced into her eyes again. There was something, something that he couldn't figure out.

            This woman looked exactly the same as the woman in his visions. Everything about her was the same as the woman in the visions. He knew this woman. She may have been from his past. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember.

            "That amulet, where did you get it?" Buffy questioned, noticing it dangling from his neck.

            The man did not answer. He wasn't sure what to do. All he did was sat there thinking who she was and what the visions were about.  They were driving him crazy. He didn't look at her again. The man leaped into the woods and kept running.

            Buffy wasn't going to lose him again. She took off running after him. Although she couldn't see him, she could hear him tracking through the underbrush. Her slayer senses allowed her to hear it.

            The man panicked. He knew that this woman was after him. He was afraid of what she could do to him. He realized one thing though, the woman was awfully familiar. Suddenly, he came into a clearing and ran smack into someone. He fell to the ground.

            "What the hell?" the person questioned, glancing down on this man.

            The man slowly crawled backwards. He noticed that this person was holding a crossbow.  That's when he realized that he was afraid of crossbows, but he couldn't figure out the reason. He crawled back more quickly now. 

            "Vampire," the person said, aiming the crossbow towards the man, "You picked a bad time to run into me. Now you'll die."

            "No!" Buffy yelled as she jumped into the clearing. 

            "Buffy?" the person questioned.

            "No Axel, don't hurt him," Buffy pleaded, "He's not a vampire, he's just a homeless person."

            "Are you sure?" Axel asked.

            "Yes, I found him sleeping under a bench," she replied, "I guess I must have startled him and he ran off."

            "I see," he replied.

            "I think we should take him back to your place and give him food and some new clothing," Buffy added.

            "Alright," he said, "That would be a nice thing to do."

Axel's Place:

            Buffy and Axel had taken the man back to his place. Luckily, Maria and Jason didn't mind at all. The man bathed and Axel gave him new clothing. Afterwards, Buffy brought him some food.

            She didn't know why, but this man reminded her of Spike. He even looked like Spike. The amulet around his neck made it seem more coincidental. 

            "So what's that thing around your neck?" Axel questioned, sitting down next to the man at the table.

            The man didn't answer. He just ate the food in silence. Buffy came up and sat down also.

            "I don't think he can talk," Buffy informed.

            "Oh, well that would explain a lot then," Axel commented, "Well I better be going. I have to finish my job for this evening. Goodbye."

            He stood up and headed out the door. Of course, he grabbed his crossbow on the way out. Buffy was relieved when Jason and Maria followed. Now she could talk to this man.

            "Who are you?" Buffy asked.

            "I'm not sure," the man answered in a raspy voice.

            "You look a lot like someone that I once knew," she replied.

            "That's strange because I feel the same way," he said, "You look so familiar to me too."

            "Maybe I could help you remember who you are," Buffy put in.

            "I guess you could. It might be hard though," he said.

            "Okay, well where did you realize that you didn't know who you are?" she asked.

            "Uh…a few nights ago," he replied, "I woke up in the park."

            "Hmm…" Buffy pondered, "Where do you stay during the day?"

            "I wander around in the sewers," he answered.

            "Why?" she asked.

            "I'm not sure," he replied.

            "Oh I see," she said, "Well, where'd you get that amulet?"

            The man sat there for a second. He was obviously thinking about it. He didn't remember. He just knew that he had found it when he'd woken up and it caught his attention.

            "I'm not sure," he replied, "I found it after I woke up."

            "That's strange," she said.

            "Yes, it is," he agreed.

            Suddenly, his head was filled with another vision. 

_"Give it to me," he stated._

_Buffy reached into her pocket, pulling out the amulet._

_"Angel said it was meant to be worn by a champion with a soul. He said it was dangerous, something about it having cleansing power."_

_He looked disappointed, but his expression changed when she placed it in his hand. He placed it around his neck._

"A woman gave it to me," he blurted out.

"Excuse me?" she questioned.

"The woman that looks like you gave it to me," he repeated.

"Oh, that's interesting," she replied.

The man sat in silence again. That's when another vision entered his head. 

_"Come on, Spike, let's go!" she said pulling his arm, trying to get him move._

_            "No Buffy, go! Get out of here!" he replied, pushing her away. _

_            She didn't leave his side. The cavern was collapsing all around them. She took her hands and placed them on Spike's hand. She held it tightly. Then she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Fire formed from their lips and hands, but neither moved away in pain._

_            "I love you, Spike," she said, her hands still holding his._

_            "No you don't, but thanks for saying it anyway" he replied, "Go on, get out of here!"_

_Buffy let go of his hands and turned to run. She turned back and looked at him, lying against the seal. _

_"I love you, Spike," she called and disappeared from the cavern._

_"I have to do this," he said, aloud, "I want to see how it ends."_

"Did you really mean it?" the man asked.

"Did I mean what?" Buffy questioned.

"Did you mean what you said back there in the cavern?" he repeated.

"The cavern, what are you talking about?" she questioned, now really confused.

"Buffy, did you really mean what you told me before you left me in the cavern?" he repeated once more.

"Oh…my…god," Buffy said in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" the man asked.

"Spike, is it really you?" she asked.

She didn't wait for an answer. She drew close and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"I think so," Spike replied, "Although I don't remember too much."

"It's okay," she said, "I'll help you remember it all."

"Aww Spikey," Drusilla said, "You're back in your lover's arms."

Spike glanced around, confused. He saw a strange woman, with long black hair.

"Do you think that you stopped me?" she questioned, "Do you think that amulet saved the world?"

Spike was terrified. He had no clue who was talking to him. And apparently Buffy couldn't see or hear this woman.

"She crippled me for a short time," Dru said, "But I cannot be defeated. I followed them here. And this is where they will all die."

"Buffy, I have to go," Spike said, breaking the embrace, "I have to take care of something."

"Alright, but come back?" she asked.

"I'll try," he said.

Spike ran out into the night. He ran and kept on running until he reached the park again. He was scared. He wanted to know what was talking to him back there. Maybe it was just another vision.

"You think that you saved everyone?" Drusilla questioned, appearing next to him in the park.

"Go away!" Spike shouted, "Leave me alone!"

"You thought that sacrificing yourself would defeat me?" she asked.

"Who are you?" he questioned.

"You thought that you'd be happy, thought you received redemption," Dru went on, "But there's always a price to pay with the Powers."

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"They sent you back," Drusilla informed, "You cannot leave this town. You are bound to this town because of the amulet."


	5. Discoveries: Episode 5

Discoveries

Episode 5

Unknown Time, Unknown Place:

            Spike opened his eyes. He had no clue where he was. Everything was bright. No, wait. There was nothing. It was just emptiness. He was floating somewhere.

            He remembered everything very clearly. He was a vampire, a vampire with a soul. He remembered Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander, Anya, the annoying boy, and the girls. He remembered fighting Caleb in the Hellmouth. He remembered the amulet and how it dusted every single Ubervamp. He remembered Buffy saying she loved him, then she left and he was alone. He remembered feeling a burning sensation inside and then the cavern collapsing.

            "William the Bloody," someone said.

            Spike glanced all around. He couldn't find the source of the voice.

            "Who's there?" he called.

            Finally, he turned around and came face to face with someone he didn't expect.

            "Anya?" he questioned, "What are you doing here?"

            "Not exactly Anya," she replied, "I'm using this form to talk to you."

            "The First?" he questioned, "You mean I'm in some hell dimension with the First  Evil?"

            "No, no," Anya said, "You are in a void, a space between dimensions. And I am what you would call on Earth, a god."

            "Wait, you're one of those Powers That Be guys?" Spike asked.

            "Yes, I guess you could call me that," Anya said.

            "So…uhh…what happened?" he asked.

            "Well, you did in fact die," she replied.

            "I know that, but why am I here?" he questioned.

            "Ah yes," she spoke, "You have not fully proven yourself to be worthy of going to Heaven. But you chose the path to redemption. You sought out a soul for the love of a woman. Then you sacrificed yourself to save the world and the woman you love."

            "Okay, well why am I here?" he asked.

            "It hadn't been decided what will become of you," Anya informed, "Well, not before now anyways."

            "What do you mean?" he questioned.

            "You sacrificed yourself to save the world. This was your destiny. Before anyone is born, their paths, or destinies, are already known by us. You have fulfilled you destiny. 

            "I see, but what will become of me?" Spike asked.

            "It has been decided…" Anya began, "…You shall return."

            "Return?" he questioned.

            "Return to Earth," she replied.

            "What's the catch?" he asked.

            "You will be different. And you will have no memory of Buffy, her friends, your past, or anything that happened before now. You will have no memory of this at all," she answered.

            "That isn't fair!" Spike shouted in anger, "What's the point of going back if I can't be with Buffy?"

            "I never said that you wouldn't be with her," Anya informed, "You may regain your memories though. You just have to find out how on your own. Good luck."

            Suddenly light consumed him. He could feel the warmth of Earth. It was near. 

            "One more thing," she called, "The amulet is the key."

            Spike didn't have time to question, for she was gone. He wondered what it meant though. That's when everything got black. He couldn't see at all. He passed out.

            Little did the powers know that this was not the real Spike; it was something else, something powerful, something dangerous. It had fooled them.

Hotel Parking Lot, Present Time:

            Giles woke up. He was in a lot of pain. He glanced around and noticed his surroundings. He was lying in a parking lot, near a bus. He was surrounded by shards of glass and blood. 

            His memories came flooding back as he rose to his feet. He remembered the battle in the school basement, leaving Sunnydale on a bus, and coming to this town in Louisiana. He remembered not allowing Buffy to catch up with the bus as they fled. He had wanted to kill her. 

            He remembered threatening Willow and the others. He remembered beating up on Jake and him and Robin Wood taking control of the group. Finally, he remembered getting beaten up by Buffy. The last thing he remembered was hitting the windshield of the bus.

            Giles got on the bus and glanced around. It was empty, except for one person. Robin was lying, unconscious, in a seat. His forehead was bloody and he has many other wounds all over. Giles felt sorry for him, but realized that Wood has deserved it for doing all that both of them had done. He knew that he, himself, had deserved what Buffy had done to him. 

            He carefully exited the bus, leaving Robin still lying in the seat. He glanced around the streets and saw that this town was fairly small. That's when he remembered one thing about this place. It was another Hellmouth. Giles took off down the street, looking for someone he knew.

Sunnydale High Basement, May 20th:

            "Giles, we gotta get out of here!" Buffy shouted as she climbed out of the hole. 

            Giles and Xander pulled her out. She was still holding the scythe.

            "The First's army is burning up down there," she informed.

            Suddenly, the whole building began to shake. The school was caving in. 

            "Get out, now!" Buffy shouted.

            "Buffy?" Spike called.

            Buffy spun to see that Spike was not behind her. She jumped back down into the Hellmouth. Giles began to panic. Buffy was risking her life in order to save a vampire. He didn't like it, but knew that she cared for him.

           He turned and ran towards the exit. He knew that she'd catch up shortly. Just as he was about to leave the basement, he saw someone standing in front of him.

            "Hello Rupert," she said.

            "Jenny?" Giles questioned, as he stopped in his tracks, right in front of the door.

            "She will catch up," Jenny Calendar informed, "and you know it."

            "I do," he replied, "She always comes out okay."

            "Yes, but you don't know one thing," she replied, "She will lose him, the vampire. And she'll never be the same."

            "What do you mean?" Giles asked, the building still collapsing around him.

            "She'll be angry with all of you," Jenny went on, "Angry enough that she will eventually kill you. You cannot wait for her. Let her die here. You will have saved the ones you love if you do."

            "I can't do that," Giles said, "I can't leave Buffy. I love her; I love her like a daughter."

          "Are you willing to risk the lives of Willow and Xander? Are you willing to risk the lives of the girls by letting her live? Save her and die or let her die and save yourselves? Which will you pick?"

            She didn't wait for an answer. As soon as she asked that last question, she was gone. Giles had no clue what he has just spoken to. Had it been the ghost of Jenny from before?  He didn't know.

            He fled the school as it continued to collapse. In a few moments, he was out and met up with all the others.

            "Something big is happening!" Xander yelled over the noise of destruction.

            "We must leave town!" Giles called, as he came up to the gang.

            "Look a school bus," Andrew shouted.

            "What the hell is that going to do?" Faith questioned.

            "Help us to get out of here," Giles answered, "Let's go!"

            Everyone got on the bus and took seats. Jake took the drivers seat. He started the bus and they sped away from the center of the destruction.

The Sewers, Present Time:

            Spike sat alone in the sewers beneath the streets of Haynesville. They were pretty much the same as the ones in Sunnydale. Although a little warmer. He liked it here in this town. But he knew there was something evil about it, he could feel it.

            Spike was still terrified at what had spoken to him the night before. He wasn't sure what it was. He wanted to know what had talked to him. He was sure that if he had fully remembered his past that he'd be able to figure out what it was.

            The ghost of that woman had looked as familiar as Buffy had looked. He knew the black-haired woman from somewhere. He just didn't know where. No memories of her had entered his mind yet. The one thing he knew about his woman was that she gave him a strange feeling. He could feel the evil radiating off of her. It was a great evil, more powerful than anything else.

            He sat on a ledge pondering over everything. He began to think back into his past. He wanted to know who this person was.

_"You are all part of the plan," Spike informed._

_            "I can't!" Spike yelled, "I won't!"_

_            "You can and you will!" Spike replied._

_            "What are you?" Spike asked.           _

_            "I am you," he answered._

_            "No!" Spike shouted, "That's not possible!"_

_            "Of course it is!" Spike smirked._

_            "Why?" Spike asked._

_            "You're job is to kill these precious humans. Turn them all into my army!" Spike informed._

_            "Do it yourself!" Spike yelled._

_            "I would," he began, "If I could. I cannot take solid form. You will do this, or you will suffer unbearable torture."_

_            "I will not!"_

_            "You will!" _

_            "What is this about?"_

_            Spike transformed into Buffy._

_            "It's all about the power!"_

The memory left his mind. That didn't exactly tell him what it was, but it was a good start. He began to search his memory again.

_"Buffy, I need to speak with you," he said._

_            "What is it, Spike?" she asked._

_            "I've been killing."_

_            "Excuse me?"_

_            "I've been killing people and burying their bodies in some abandoned house."_

_            "But the chip?"  
            "I'm not sure. It must not work anymore."_

_            "Sometimes, I wake up in strange places. I have no memories of what happened before."_

He stopped and realized that this memory was leading him down the right path. He just had to keep going, slowly though.

            _"So, you're letting her in on all our secrets?" Spike asked._

_            Spike turned around and came face to face with himself._

_            "You still haven't fulfilled your end of the bargain, Spike," he said._

_            Ignoring him, Spike made his way down the stairs after Buffy._

_            "I think I buried them there," he told her, pointing to some patches of loose dirt._

_            "Stop telling her everything!" Spike shouted._

_            Spike didn't say anything; he just continued to ignore Spike. The other Spike began to hum a tune. _

_            "No," the real Spike whispered._

_            Apparently, Spike was seeing this other him in his mind. Buffy couldn't see or hear him._

_            "No what, Spike?" Buffy asked, not turning around._

_            Spike's features began to transform. His brow pulled back and so did his lips, revealing fangs. The other Spike stopped humming. Spike picked up a fireplace poker and swung it at Buffy, knocking her to the ground. Then he rushed over to bite her._

_            She spun over and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying into the stairs._

_            "What the hell, Spike?" she questioned._

_            Suddenly, hands shot up from the ground._

_            "Oh great," she said sarcastically._

This memory went away like the others. Unfortunately, it didn't help really. But he knew he was close. He went back to thinking.

            _"She's going to kill you now," Spike said to the real one, "It's all over."_

_            Buffy approached the real Spike. He was holding his head, crying. The other Spike disappeared. _

_            "Go ahead, do it fast," Spike told her, "He said you would."_

_            "What? Who said I would?" Buffy questioned._

_            "Me. It was me. I saw it. I was here the whole time, talking and singing. There was a song," he said._

_            "What are you talking about?"_

_            "I don't know. Please, I don't remember. Don't make me remember. Make it so I forget again! I did what you wanted!"_

_            "There's something here."_

_"Oh, God, no, please. I need that. I can't cry the soul out of me. It won't come. I killed, and I can feel 'em. I can feel every one of them."_

_"There's something playing with us. All of us."_

_"What is it? Why is it doing this to me?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"Will you... Help me. Can you help me?"_

_            "I'll help you."_

Spike began to get frustrated. All the memories had something to do with something, but they didn't tell him what. It was driving him crazy, he wanted to know. Suddenly, three words entered his mind.

            "The First Evil," Spike muttered.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Giles was lost. He couldn't find anything or anyone he knew. But it was expected since he had just arrived in the town a few days earlier. But he was frustrated. 

            Only one thing flooded his thoughts at the moment, the thing that had spoken to him while leaving the high school. He wanted to know if it was really her, Jenny Calendar that had spoken to him. He felt terrible for leaving Buffy to die. But this thing was driving him crazy.

            As he continued walking, thought flooded his mind. That's when he realized what it was. It wasn't Jenny. It was the one thing that had been terrorizing Buffy for two years now. 

            "The First Evil," Giles muttered.

The Sewers:

            "The First Evil," Spike muttered aloud.

            It was the one thing that had been torturing everyone for two years. It couldn't take corporeal form, but it could impersonate anyone that had died. And that's just what it had done to him the previous night.

            "It took you that long to figure it out," Buffy said.

            Spike's head shot up. He looked at the slayer and smiled.

            "How'd you find me?" he asked.

            "It wasn't that hard considering that I could see everything in this town," she replied.

            "Go away!" Spike shouted in anger.

            "Come on, Spikey," she said, "It's me, Buffy."

            "No! You're not her!" he shouted, "You're the First!"

            "So, I am," The First/Buffy replied, "What a surprise!"

            "Get away from me!" he yelled, getting off the ledge and backing away.

            "I'm not through with you yet, vampire," The First/Buffy informed, "I still have many plans for you."

            Spike didn't reply. He continued backing up, slowly.

            "Just you wait and see!" it shouted.

            Spike turned and ran off quickly into the darkness. The First/Buffy smirked as it watched. It began to laugh as the last view of the vampire disappeared into the darkness.


	6. Love: Episode 6

Love

Episode 6

Unknown Hotel:

Jake was very happy. He was finally able to get some peace and quiet. He was so happy to finally be off that bus and away from the girls. He liked each of them, but it was so nice to finally be alone.

            He lay on the double bed. He flipped through the channels, looking for something to watch. Although he was finally alone, he was still bored to death. At least the girls had given him something to do. That was one thing that they were good for, keeping him entertained.

            Suddenly, there was a loud knock at his door. He wondered who it was as he climbed out of the bed. He unlatched the lock and opened the door. 

            "Hi," she said, smiling shyly.

            Julia stood in his doorway. Even though he wanted to be alone, he was glad that it was her.

            "Hey," he replied, smiling back.

            "Can I come in?" she asked.

            "Sure," he replied.

            He moved out of the way. She walked in and turned to face him. He closed the door and then turned to face her. 

            "I'm sorry to bother you," she began, "But I had to get away from them. They were driving me crazy."

            Jake chuckled quietly. He was amused. Now he knew that he wasn't the only one that the potentials annoyed and frustrated.

            "I just needed to get away," she went on, "I was sitting there, trying to think, and they were all being way too loud. It's hard living in close quarters like this with two other girls, especially ones who can't stop talking."

            Jake laughed silently once again. He was finally glad to have company. Although he had never admitted it before, he had a thing for Julia. He was indeed attracted to this potential slayer. One thing puzzled him though. 

            _"Why am I always attracted to the slayers?" he asked in his head._

            He stood there smiling, while listening to Julia babble on about how she didn't really like the other girls. From what he understood, she never really did and had always just wanted to get away. He wasn't really listening to what she was saying. He was too busy staring at her. She was gorgeous.

            "Are you staring at me?" she questioned, interrupting her own babble.

            "Huh? What?" Jake questioned.

            Her question had broken him out of the trance that she had on him. 

            "No," he said, embarrassed.

            "Oh, must've been my imagination," she replied.

            "Would you like to sit down?" he asked.

            "That would be nice," she accepted.

            Jake walked back towards the double bed. Instead of sitting down on it, he went over to the small table and pulled out a chair. Julia came over and sat in it. Then he pulled out another and took a seat, himself.

Axel's Place:

            Buffy lay in her small bed. She was somewhat satisfied with her new home. It wasn't the same as the one she had back in Sunnydale, but it worked. It was different though, very different. 

            She liked Axel, or she thought she did. But there was one thing blocking anyone from reaching her. She couldn't stop thinking about Spike. He still hadn't come back from the other night. He told her that he would.

            Buffy loved Spike and she knew it in her heart. She couldn't believe that she had waited so long to tell him how she felt. She was still lucky though, lucky that she was able to spend time with him, in his arms. She enjoyed it so much and wished that it would happen soon.

            Buffy climbed out of bed. She couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of waiting for him to come back. She had to find Spike now! She slipped on a pair of jeans and her leather coat. Lastly, she slid on her boots. She walked out the door and into the night.

Unknown Hotel:

            Julia had finally decided to leave. Jake had guessed that she became bored and wanted to get back in some action. He wasn't really happy by himself now. He wanted her to come back, but didn't want to let her know yet. 

            He realized that he needed to go out for a walk, no matter how late it was. He needed to clear his head. Cindy's face kept appearing in his head, preventing him from fully falling for Julia. She was dead and he knew that he had to just move on. He slipped on his sneakers and left the hotel room.

            As he walked through downtown Haynesville, he glanced around at the surroundings. They were so much different from Sunnydale's or his hometown, Erie. He kind of liked this place though. It was nice.

            As he was walking by a store, he noticed someone staring into the front window. That wasn't what caught his eye, though. It was the young girl that caught his eye. He walked over.

            "Hi," he said.

            The girl turned around. His voice had startled her. She smiled.

            "Cindy?" Jake questioned when he saw her face.

            "Oh my god! Jake!" Cindy exclaimed, embracing him in a hug.

            "Wait, you're supposed to be dead," he said, very confused.

            "Oh?" she asked, "You heard about that little incident?"

            "Yeah," he replied, "You were stabbed."

            "Yes, I guess Faith told you about it?"

            "She did," he replied, "What happened?"

            "Well, I was stabbed by a Bringer," she began, "Faith was really upset and she tried to help. I really thought I was going to die. But I think I just passed out."

            "I see," he said, hugging her again, "I'm glad you're back."

            "Look, I have to get back my apartment," she informed, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

            "Possibly," he replied, "Do you want to meet me here tomorrow night, same time?"

            "Sounds good," she answered, "See you tomorrow."

            "Bye," he said, as he watched her walk off into the night.

            Cindy was back. Jake couldn't believe that she was still alive. Everyone thought she had been dead. He was so happy. But there was still that other thing, he had feelings for Julia.

Central Park:

            Buffy figured that this is where Spike would be hiding. She checked under all the benches, but he wasn't there. She was worried. She stopped and remembered something he had told her.

            _"Hmm…" Buffy pondered, "Where do you stay during the day?"_

_            "I wander around in the sewers," he answered._

_            "Why?" she asked._

_            "I'm not sure," he replied._

She had remembered him telling her that a few nights ago, when they took him in and fed him. She turned and ran out of the park. She headed towards a manhole covering in the street and pulled it off. She jumped down into the darkness. 

            Buffy landed with a thud. Unfortunately, she had fallen on her back. She slowly rose to her feet, making sure she wasn't injured badly. It would be a bruise soon, if not already.

            She turned her flashlight on and began her walk. It was damp and cold down there. Luckily, it wasn't very wet, so her boots didn't get ruined. 

            After about an hour of searching, she wanted to give up. She was exhausted and her flashlight was dead. It was getting late anyway. She decided to walk into the next big area and then climb out. As she walked into the large part, she saw two people standing there, in the dark.

            "Spike?" Buffy called, squinting to see who was there.

            "Stay back, Buffy!" he called from the other side.

            Buffy wondered what was going on. She didn't move forward though. 

            "No, let her come and play, Spike," a woman said.

            The one figure turned and walked towards her. Buffy wasn't afraid at all. That's when she realized that she had forgotten a stake. She was in trouble now.

            Suddenly, the area lit up with florescent lights. Buffy saw Spike standing on the other side. Then she saw who was walking towards her. 

            "Dani," Buffy said, "What are you doing here?"

            "What the hell are you doing here?" the vampire questioned.

            "Leave her out of this!" Spike snapped.

            "Spike, what's going on?" Buffy called.

            Dani turned and walked back to Spike. Buffy followed, obviously very confused.

            "You're supposed to be dust," Dani told him.

            "Your point, luv?" he asked.

            "You died back in my palace," she went on, "That boy dusted you."

            "Now see," Spike began, "I don't even know who the hell you are or what the hell you're talking about. You think you can just storm in here and shove me around. I don't think so."

            "Hmm…you are telling the truth," Dani said, "I can tell. But it doesn't explain who Drusilla was hanging around back then."

            "Drusilla?" he questioned.

            Spike obviously had no clue what this vampire was talking about. He knew the name Drusilla sounded familiar, but he didn't know from where.

            "Wait a second," Spike said, "She was the one that came to me in the sewers a few nights back. The bit said something about some powers sending me back with a price to pay."

            Buffy was very confused now. She had no clue what the hell Spike was talking about with powers sending him back. Maybe it was something that happened to him.

            "I loved Drusilla. I loved her before she dumped me for those demons," he babbled, "I traveled through Europe with her. She was my sire."

            Buffy knew that Spike was getting back his memory. It was coming back slowly still.

            "That slut Dru could have been with anyone," Spike said, angrily, "Now get the hell out of here bitch!"

            "Calm down," Dani said, "You wouldn't want to start any trouble, now would you?"

            Spike didn't answer. He swung his fist and it connected with her jaw. Dani stumbled backwards, dazed. She quickly regained her senses and punched him back, harder. He fell to the ground, blood seeping from his nose.

            She kicked him in the chest. Buffy heard his ribs crack. Buffy knew he was weak and still confused with all that had happened to him. She couldn't let him get killed. She ran at Dani, tackling her to the ground. Spike slowly stood up and backed away. 

            Dani used her feet and kicked Buffy backwards. She landed on her butt with a thud. 

            "Get back, bitch!" she shouted.

            Buffy quickly stood up and gave the vampire a roundhouse kick. She heard her jawbone crack as the vampire fell to the ground. Dani rose to her feet and began dishing out punches. Buffy blocked most of them, but the last hit her across the face.

            "Don't mess with me!" Dani shouted, "I can and will kick your ass!"

            Buffy punched back and followed up with a front kick to the chest. Dani fell to the ground once again. 

            "Don't get ahead of yourself," Buffy warned.

            Dani had had enough. She stood up and ran out of the area. She was scared. She hadn't realized that the slayer was that powerful. She wasn't about to face her again for a while. 

            Buffy caught her breath as she watched the vampire disappear. She walked over to Spike.

            "Are you okay?" she asked him.

            "I should be," he replied. 

            "Where have you been?" she asked.

            "I'm sorry, Buffy," he answered, "I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I had to remember more. I had to be alone for a while."

            Buffy didn't respond. She just smiled.

            "As long as it helped you," she finally said.

            She leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back. She broke the kiss after a few moments.

            "I love you, Spike," she told him.

            "I love you too, Buffy," he replied.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Jake and Cindy had met up a little while earlier. The two were walking along, talking. Little did they know that someone was following behind them. They kept walking though. Neither seemed to feel like they were being followed.

            Just as they were about to cross the street, a figure stepped in front of them. Both Jake and Cindy were startled.

            "So you found someone else?" Julia asked.

            She stepped forward a little, into the light. Jake saw her face.

            "I thought you cared for me, Jake," she went on, "But now I see you never really did."

            "That's not true," he replied, "I do care for you."

            "Then who's that?" she questioned, "Some hooker you got off the street?"

            "No!" he yelled, "She's a friend."

            "Sure, she is," she said.

            "Listen Julia!" Jake shouted, "I thought she was dead. That's what I heard and that's what everyone believed. She stayed with us back in Sunnydale, remember? She left with Mr. Giles."

            "As a matter of fact," Julia began, "I don't."

            "Look, I think I should go," Cindy spoke up, "I'll let you two solve your problem. It's obvious that you have feelings for her."

            She turned to go. She slowly began to walk down the street.

            "No, don't go!" Jake called, "Cindy, I still love you."

            Cindy didn't reply. She just kept walking.

            "Look what you did!" Jake snapped, "Now I lost someone that I cared about."

            "I love you, Jake," Julia said, "And I thought you loved me too."

            "I do love you," he replied, "But I love her too. Look, it's all very complicated."

            "I'm leaving," Julia said, turning to go.

            That's when they heard someone scream. It was a terrifying scream, like someone was being attacked.

            "Cindy!" Jake called, beginning to panic.

            He took off in the direction of the scream. Julia followed. Even though she was angry, she was a potential slayer and wanted to help.

            The two turned into an alley and Jake gasped in horror. Cindy was being help by the throat. She was slowly losing air. She was in the hands of a vampire, a very familiar vampire. A vampire that Jake had been very close to before she was turned.

            "What the hell are you doing here?" Jake questioned.

            "Don't look too happy to see me," Dani smirked.

            "Leave her alone!" Jake shouted.

            Julia stood behind him. She didn't know what to do. 

            "I heard your whole little speech back there," Dani began, "You know, about your little love triangle. You love this one?"

            Jake stared in horror as Cindy gasped for air. Dani tossed Cindy aside. She hit the side of a building and tried to breathe. Dani walked forward. Suddenly, she was no longer in front of him. Jake turned to Julia. Dani was standing behind her. She had moved like lightning.

            "Do you love this one too?" she questioned.

            Jake hadn't answered either of her questions. He was somewhat frightened. He couldn't protect Cindy and Julia from her. She was way too powerful. Dani shoved Julia aside too. She came up real close to Jake.

            "What do you want with them?" he questioned, angrily. 

            "I don't want them," she said, "I want to get rid of them. I want you back."

            "No way in hell it's happening," Jake replied.

            She leaned in and kissed him full on the lips. Jake shoved her back.

            "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted in anger.

            "I'm taking you back," she replied, calmly, "I can turn you, make you immortal. We can be together forever."

            Jake backed away slowly. He didn't know what to do. He had to get the girls out of here, away from this crazy vampire. But he was afraid. She used to be a slayer. She was a strong vampire. She was powerful enough to take over Sunnydale.

            _"So what do you need to tell Buffy?" he asked._

_            "That I know about the supposed three slayers who the Council created when a new slayer wasn't called," Faith informed, "The Council used magik to temporarily give the slayer powers to a girl."_

_            "Who were these three slayers?" he questioned._

_            "One was turned into a vampire and made the queen until she was kicked out. The second was her friend and I met her briefly. The third was our traveling partner," Faith went on."_

_            "Dani, Sarah, and Cindy?" he questioned._

He remembered it clearly now. Faith had told this to him back when he met her in Los Angeles last spring. Dani no longer had the powers that the Council bestowed upon her. She was just an ordinary vampire.

            "I can turn you, make you my king. We can rule this town, this world, together. We'll be unstoppable," Dani went on.

            "Hey bitch!" someone shouted from the entrance of the alley.

            Dani and Jake turned to see who it was. Jake smiled and Dani smirked.

            "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Faith questioned, coming into the alley.

            "Stay away or you'll die like those two," Dani threatened, pointing to where Cindy and Julia lay.

            "Hey, I remember you," Faith said, "You're that vampire bitch that took over Sunnydale. But then Buffy and the others put a stop to you. Oh yeah, aren't you also one of those girls that the Council bestowed temporary slayer powers to?"

            "What?" Dani questioned.

            "You are!" Faith exclaimed, "You're Dani, aren't you?"

            "Stay back girl!" Dani yelled, "Or I'll kill you."

            "You vampires aren't very smart," Faith replied, "When a vampire threatens a slayer, they always die."

            "A slayer?" Dani asked.

            "What'd you think I was?" she asked.

            "But the master said there weren't any slayers in town," Dani said.

            "The master?" Faith questioned.

            "It said that they died when Sunnydale collapsed. It said they killed themselves in their attempts to stop it."

            "It?" Faith questioned, "Stop it?"            

            Dani didn't say anything else. She turned and ran out of the alley. Faith let her. She was too busy thinking about what she had said. Jake rushed over and helped Cindy and Julia to their feet. 

            "You guys will be all right?" Faith questioned, oblivious to who was in the alley with Jake.

            "Yeah," Jake replied, "Thanks."

            "No problem," she replied, "I'll see you later."

            Faith took off into the night.

            "Look Cindy," Jake began, "I shouldn't have let you run off into the night by yourself."

            "It's okay," she replied, "It's my fault."

            "Cindy, I'm glad you're back," he went on, "But I've moved on. You were gone for so many months. I thought you were dead. I found someone else. I'm sorry."

            Cindy was silent. She didn't know what to say. Of course she was upset, but he was right.

            "I still love you, Cindy," he said, "And I always will. Just not the way I used to."

            "You're right," Cindy said, speaking up, "I was gone. I shouldn't have expected that you would still be here waiting for me. Goodbye Jake."

            With that, Cindy was gone. That was the last that Jake saw of her.

            "Julia," Jake said, turning to face her, "I love you."

            The two embraced in a passionate kiss.

            "I love you too, Jake," she said, breaking the kiss.

            They went back to their kiss.

Central Park:

            Faith was walking alone in the park. She had just helped Jake and the two girls. But she let the vampire go. She was probably a very dangerous vampire at that. But that wasn't the problem. Something else was.

            Her mind was stuck on what the vampire had said. She was very puzzled.

            _"But the master said there weren't any slayers in town," Dani said._

_            "The master?" Faith questioned._

_            "It said that they died when Sunnydale collapsed. It said they killed themselves in their attempts to stop it."_

            She wanted to know what the vampire was talking about. Whatever the vampire's master was, it knew Sunnydale had collapsed. She continued walking. That's when she realized what it was, who the vampire's master was. 

The vampire had said that her master told her that she and Buffy had died when the town collapsed. And that it was when trying to stop her master. It could only be one thing. The town had collapsed, stopping it. But had they really stopped it.

"The First Evil," Faith said, aloud.


	7. Realization: Episode 7

Realization

Episode 7

Downtown Haynesville:

            Giles ran as fast as he could. He had to find Buffy. She had to know what was going on. She had to know that the First Evil had not been destroyed back in Sunnydale. She had to know that it was here in Haynesville, Louisiana. 

            He didn't know where to find her though. He'd only seen her once and that was when she tossed him through the bus windshield. As a matter of fact, he hadn't seen anyone since he woke up, besides Wood. He just had to find Buffy, had to warn her.

The Sewers:

            Spike sat alone. Buffy had left him a few hours ago. She had to get back to the place where she was staying or else the person would get suspicious. She had confessed that she loved him and they had kissed. 

            But there was one thing Spike had forgotten to mention. He had gotten so worked up about Buffy telling him that she loved him, that he forgot. He had to warn her about what was coming. He had to tell her that she hadn't destroyed the First Evil. He had to tell her that it was here, in this town. He stood up and disappeared into the darkness of the sewers. He had to find her.

Unknown Hotel:

            Faith began to panic. She had no clue what to do or what was going on. She was terrified. She had learned that the First Evil had not been destroyed. She had discovered that it was back and here in this town.

            She had to tell Buffy everything. She had to tell her that the First Evil was back. But first, she had to find her. Buffy never told where she had been staying. All she knew what that she was staying with some guy that hunted vampires. 

            She found someone on the street and asked where an exterminator's store was. The person told her it was called _Axel:  Exterminator _and pointed her in that direction. She took off, racing towards the place. Buffy had to find out as soon as possible.

Axel's Place:

            Axel and his friends had gone off for a few weeks for business, leaving Buffy alone. She was relieved. Maybe now, she could meet up with her friends and figure out what they were going to do. 

            First of all, her first real threat had arrived in town. Dani, the former vampire queen, had traveled here. It had taken Buffy a while to realize it, but her dream was starting to come together. Maybe this town really was on a hellmouth.

            She was sitting alone, eating a late dinner, when she heard a knock at the door. She went over and opened it.

            "Faith?" Buffy questioned.

            "Hey B," Faith said, "Geez, it took me a while to find this place."

            "Sorry about that," Buffy apologized, "I should have told you guys where I was staying."

            "It's cool," Faith said, "So where's this vampire-slaying hottie?"

            "Actually, he isn't here," Buffy informed.

            "Oh?" Faith questioned.

            "Yeah, he and his friends left town on some business for the week," Buffy replied.

            That's when she heard another knock at the door. She left Faith and went over and opened it.

            "Spike?" Buffy questioned.

            "Buffy, we need to…" Spike began but was interrupted.

            "Spike?" Faith questioned from the other room.

            Faith came walking in. She stared at the vampire in confusion. 

            "But didn't you die?" Faith asked.

            "It's a long story, Faith," Buffy informed.

            Ignoring her, Faith went on, "How the hell did you ever escape that crater? I mean, everything just caved in, there would have been no way out."

            "Faith!" Buffy shouted.

            "Yes, B?" she asked.

            "I said, it's a long story," Buffy repeated, "I'll tell you when everyone else is around."

            That's when she heard a third knock. She turned and opened the door. She gasped at who she saw.

            "Giles?" she questioned.

            "Giles!" Faith shouted.

            Giles stood in the doorway of Axel's place. He looked very tired.

            "Get back!" Faith shouted, "Stay away from us!" 

            "Relax Faith," Giles said, "I'm no longer under a trance or whatever I was under."

            "Oh?" she questioned.

            "Buffy, I never thought that I'd find you," Giles said to her, "Even though this town is small, it still took a while to find you."

            "Giles," Buffy began, "What's wrong?"

            "B!" Faith exclaimed, "We need to talk!"

            "Buffy," Spike said, pulling her shirt sleeve, "I need to talk to you."

            "Alright!" Buffy yelled, "Everyone just shut up!"

            The three stopped talking and focused their attention to her. 

            "Okay, here's the deal," she began, "Dani, the former vampire queen, is here in town. I ran into her last night, but she fled. We need to hunt her down and dust her."

            "B, you have to listen to me!" Faith shouted.

            "No!" Buffy yelled, "First we handle this threat, then I'll listen to all of you."

            "B, I ran into her last night," Faith began, "She was terrorizing Jake. Before she fled, she…"

            "Enough!" Buffy shouted, interrupting her, "Like I said, we kill her first and then I listen to what each of you has to say. Okay?"

            Faith, Spike, and Giles all agreed to this.

            "By the way," Buffy added, "Don't mention anything to the others. We're doing this alone."

Haynesville Cemetery:

            "B, I really don't think that she'd be hiding out here," Faith said, "I mean, this would be a really obvious place."

            Buffy ignored her. She was bent on finding this former queen vampire and slaying her. Buffy had thought the vampire was completely gone. They had spent a few months searching for her before, and then she had finally taken off for Paris. It pissed Buffy off that she'd returned.

            "Buffy, maybe Faith is right," Giles put in, "This place is the first place we're searching and a vampire like Dani would know it."

            "Look Giles," Buffy said, "I don't want to here it from you. You left me to die. I'm still pissed at you. So I suggest you shut your mouth."  
            Giles knew she was right. He had left her to die in Sunnydale. So he did keep his mouth shut.

            The four continued walked through the dark cemetery. It was obvious that they were lost, but none really seemed to notice. That's when a large group of vampires appeared, blocking their path.

            "Hi, I'm Buffy," she said, "Would you by any chance know where a vampire named Dani is?"

            The vampires didn't speak. One stepped forward and approached Spike. He sniffed Spike and then stepped back.

            "They are vampires except that one has a soul," he told the others, pointing to Spike.

            Buffy was surprised. For one, the vampires thought that they were all vampires. Second, they could smell the soul on Spike. She didn't know they could do that.

            Buffy repeated her question, "Do you know where a vampire named Dani is?"

            Another vampire stepped forward. He was a lot bigger and looked very strong.

            "You mean the queen?" he asked.

            "Yes, her," Buffy replied.

            "Well, she just arrived here after a long trip returning from Paris," the vampire informed, "She's resting over there in that crypt. If it's important business, I'll let you talk with her."

            The vampire pointed to its left. Buffy looked in the direction that the vampire was pointing. She noticed a crypt less than ten yards away. Buffy smirked.      

            "So where are you and your gang headed off to?" she asked.

            "Well, my buddy here claims to have run into a slayer a few nights back," the vampire informed, "We're going to see if we can find one."

            Another vampire stepped forward. A look of horror spread across his face when he saw who else Buffy was with. 

            "That's her!" he exclaimed, pointing to Faith, "That's the slayer!"

            "Damn," Buffy muttered under her breath.

            The vampires charged at the small group, fangs showing. Buffy pulled out a stake and stood there calmly. She held it out as the first vampire approached. It impaled itself on the stake.

            Everyone spread out and seemed to be holding there own, even Giles. Buffy was fighting gracefully. She remembered her short time fighting with the scythe. She remembered it all too well. Unfortunately though, she had left it in the hellmouth. 

            She thrust the stake forward into the heart of one vampire, then shoved it backwards, into the heart of a second that was behind her. Both dusted instantly. She sensed something, then turned and gave another a side kick, causing its neck to snap. 

            She glanced around and noticed that all the vampires were dust. Spike, Giles, and Faith walked back over to her.

            "Now we head up to that crypt and dust that nuisance," she informed.

            She carefully and quietly head up to the crypt. There was a very tiny window on the door. She walked up and peered in. Sure enough, there was the queen, standing in the middle of a room. Buffy was confused when she noticed that the vampire was speaking to someone. She glanced all around, but could see no one.

            "There's someone else in there," Buffy said, speaking to the group.

            The others didn't reply. They remained silent, waiting for a command. Buffy could now here everything that was being said.

            "You never said anything about a slayer being in town, let alone two!" Dani said.

            "I wanted to protect you," someone said, "Make you fearless so that you could go up against anything."

            "But what if I had run into one, like I did last night?" Dani questioned.

            "I didn't think you would. I didn't think that both would be here in town," the other thing said.

            "I could have been killed," Dani went on, "And then you would have lost another servant."

            "But you weren't," the other said, "You're still here. And from now on, I'm not letting you die."

            "You know something," Dani said, "Ever since you left that hellhole town, you've been different. Something is wrong."

            "Nothing is wrong, nothing is different," the other replied.

            "Do you fear her now?" she asked, "Do you fear her like everything else that comes across her?"

            Buffy was confused. She knew that Dani and the other were talking about her. But she didn't know who this other one was. She wanted to find out, but she decided that she would listen a little longer.

            "Fear the slayer?" the other asked, "Just because she won the battle, does not mean she won the war. The war will go on and on until I defeat her and take over the world, until every potential slayer and slayer is dead. I will never fear the slayer."

            "She defeated your army though," Dani informed.

            "That is true, but I can always rebuild another," the other replied, "I can raise my vampires from this town. I can have others, like you, join my army. And once the scales are tipped, I will become corporeal. I will defeat the slayer with my bear hands."

            Buffy stared in horror. She was in utter shock. The one thing she thought was defeated was back. The thing she had risked her life fighting was still here. And it wanted revenge.

            "Before the summer, the slayer will fall," the other said, "And I will have this world."

            Buffy slowly backed away from the others. She felt sick. 

            "Buffy…luv…what's wrong?" Spike asked.

            "I didn't win," Buffy muttered.

            "Huh?" Faith asked.

            "I only won the battle, not the war," she replied.

            "What do you mean?" Giles asked.

            Ignoring him, Buffy went on, "I have to end this. I have to before more dangerous things start happening."

            "Soon, I will reveal to her that I'm still here. She will quiver in her slayer boots," it said.

            Buffy glanced back in the window when she heard this. She gasped at what she saw. She stepped out of the shadows. It was in the form of her, Buffy."

            Buffy decided that the time was right. She kicked the crypt door open. It hit the floor of the crypt with a loud crash. She stepped back into the shadows.

            "Slayer?" Dani questioned, spinning around.

            "I've heard enough," Buffy replied.

            "Which is why I said what I did," The First/Buffy said, reemerging from the shadows.

            "Excuse me?" Dani asked.

            "She was standing outside the whole time, listening to everything being said," The First/Buffy went on, "She knows of my plan. That's because I wanted her to."

            "You tricked me!" Dani exclaimed, "You set me up for my own death!"

            The First/Buffy laughed and with that, it was gone. Dani slowly backed up towards the other side of the crypt.

            "No!" she shouted, "You can't leave me here to die!"

            "You've failed me too many times," a voice boomed throughout the room, "You couldn't kill the boy and you couldn't kill the vampire."

            "But it was the slayers' faults!" Dani shouted, "They showed up, ruined everything."

            There was no answer. The vampire continued backing up.

            "I'm guessing that your 'faithful' master left you all alone. All alone to die," Buffy said, stepping forward. 

            She pulled a stake out of her pocket and held it forward. Dani began to panic.

            "Now I hear that your slayer powers were only temporary, that you're not as strong as you were before. You're just an ordinary, easy-to-kill vampire," Buffy informed.

            Dani couldn't back up anymore. She was already against the wall. There was a look of horror on her face. Buffy brought the stake up and plunged it into the vampire's heart.

            She screamed out in pain. She turned to dust, which fell to the ground. Buffy turned and headed out of the crypt. The others were all standing there, watching.

Axel's Place:

            "Now what were the three of you going to tell me?" Buffy asked.

            The four of them had returned to Axel's place. Buffy hadn't spoken since she dusted the former vampire queen. The four had gathered in the lobby of Axel's place.

            "Come on," she said, "Spike?"

            "Buffy," Giles said, speaking up, "I was going to tell you what you just discovered."

            "And that was?" she asked.

            "That the First was not defeated," Faith answered.

            "And that it is still trying to terrorize me and the rest of you," Spike added.

            "That's what you all were going to tell me?" Buffy asked.

            "Yes," Giles replied, "I guess each in our own little way."

            Buffy stood in silence. She was letting what the First said, sink in.

            T_he other replied, "I can raise my vampires from this town. I can have others, like you, join my army. And once the scales are tipped, I will become corporeal. I will defeat the slayer with my bear hands."_

The words repeated again and again in her head. And they were beginning to disturb her. She had lost her weapon, lost her army. She knew that everything was hopeless.


	8. Bye, Bye Slayer: Episode 8

Bye, Bye Slayer

Episode 8

Downtown Haynesville:

            Faith was wandering the town alone. She had just come from Buffy's place. She had been there when the First told them its plans. She was there when Buffy's face had gone cold. And she was terrified.

            First off, Faith didn't think that they had a chance last time around. This time around, she knew that their chances were even slimmer. Their army was gone. It was reduced to about fifteen or so people. And Buffy had lost the scythe. Besides, she didn't think Willow could pull off that spell a second time.

            Faith was a lonely girl. She had always been one too. But then again, a slayer was always lonely. Every slayer that ever lived was alone. She was alone and even Buffy was alone. Faith knew that. Although Buffy had her friends, in her mind, she felt alone. 

            She continued her walk through town. She was deathly bored and desperately longed to slay something. She approached a park. The sign at the gates said it was Central Park. She entered through the gates and walked around.

            After walking for about an hour or so, she came upon a small clearing. There were a few benches there also. That's when she noticed something under one. It was a man, wrapped up in a blanket. She walked over a kicked him. The man stirred and looked up at her.

            "Bloody hell!" he shouted, crawling out from under the bench, "Can't a bloke get a little shut eye?"

            He slowly stood up and faced his opponent. He was shocked to see who it was. He recognized her.

            "Faith?" he questioned, "What are you doing here?"

            "I'm bored to death," she replied, "I decided to go for a walk."

            "Oh," he said, "Well enjoy."

            "Why'd you do it?" she asked, sitting down on the bench.

            "Do what?" he questioned, looking confused.

            "Why'd you get a soul?" she repeated.

            "Oh that," he said, sitting down next to her, "Well truth was, I fell in love with Buffy. After she came back, she used me. She slept with me for several weeks. I really thought in my mind that she loved me back. She continued denying it. I was fed up and took drastic measures. I almost raped her."

            "I see," Faith said, "But how'd you get the soul?"

            "Right," he said, returning to his story, "I left Sunnydale. I was tired of Buffy treating me badly and I knew I had to get back at her. I had to get the chip removed so that I could kill her. I headed for Africa, where I heard of a demon that could help me. I demanded the demon to return me to my former self. After enduring a few tough trials, he gave me what I wanted, my soul."

            "But I thought you said you wanted the chip out?" Faith asked.

            "I thought that too when I went to the demon," Spike informed, "But I guess my heart wanted other things. And those things were Buffy's love and to be wanted by people, to be among them."

            "You did all that just for Buffy?" she asked.

            "Yes," he replied, "I wanted redemption. I knew that I had killed too many and was a monster. But I still wanted it. The final thing that led to my redemption was my sacrifice. They sent me back."

            "They?" Faith asked.

            "The Powers," he answered, "They said I hadn't redeemed myself enough to go to Heaven, but I had redeemed myself somewhat. I was sent back. I was given a second chance."

            "What are you trying to tell me?" she asked.

            "That by redeeming yourself, you may receive a second chance at things," he said.

            "I see," she replied.

            Faith got up off the bench and turned to face the vampire. She smiled at him.

            "I guess I should be going now," she told him, "I have some work to do."

            She turned and began to walk out of the clearing. She was almost out of sight. That's when she stopped and turned.

            "Thanks Spike!" she called then disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Faith was back to wandering again. The only thing different was that she had a new mission. She was out to find the opening to the hellmouth. And she definitely knew that there was a hellmouth beneath the town.

            She knew that if she had discovered where the location of the hellmouth was, she would be helping out Buffy and the others. She figured that they would possibly accept her into their circle of friends.

            She wandered into an alley and noticed a small group of vampires, standing around something towards the back. As she quietly inched closer, she saw what they were standing around. It was a young girl.

            "Hey!" Faith shouted, trying to draw the vamps' attention away from the girl.

            The small group turned around and looked at her.

            "Now we have the main course," one said.

            They began to casually walk over to her. Faith reached into her back pocket. She was gripping a stake tightly. She had to wait for the right moment; she had to wait for one of them to make the first move.

            The four vampires began to slowly circle her. She tensed up a lot. She couldn't blow this. It may help her achieve her redemption. She wanted to do a good thing by saving this young girl.

            "What's wrong sweetie?" another vamp asked.

            "You seem a bit tense," a third added.

            "Why don't you relax a little?" a fourth questioned, "We won't bite. Okay, well I lied, we will."

            Faith had had enough. She pulled out the stake and slammed it into the heart of one of the vamps. It exploded into dust. The other three were taken aback.

            "You bitch!" one shouted at her.

            Faith didn't waste anymore time. She thrust the stake forward, dusting that one also. The other two turned to run. She grabbed them both by the neck and tossed them backwards. She threw the stake at another. She hit her mark, the vampire's heart.

            She walked over and pulled the remaining vampire to its feet. She held on tightly to its neck.

            "You're gonna tell me what I need to know," she told him.

            "Depends," he replied.

            "Well, then I guess I'm gonna put you up on that roof, hang you upside down on a pole and let the sun cook you slowly," Faith informed, "How's that sound?"

            The vampire didn't look too excited. A look of fear spread across his face. 

            "Now, where is the Hellmouth located?" she questioned.

            The vampire didn't utter a word. He was too terrified.

            "Where the hell is it?" she asked.

            "It-it's underneath that exterminator's place," the vamp muttered.

            "What exterminator place?" she asked.

            "The guy that slays us vampires owns it," he informed, "I told you what you wanted, now let me go."

            "Why?" she asked, "So you can go on killing?"

            Faith tossed him into the side of one of the buildings. He hit it with a thud. The look of fear was still there. She picked up her stake and threw it at the vampire. It punctured his heart. The vamp exploded into dust.

            Faith walked over to see if the young girl was all right. She checked for a pulse. The girl was still alive. Faith picked up her stake then turned and walked out of the alley.

Axel's Place:

            Buffy was bored. She had to get out. She turned off the television. She slid on her boots and leather jacket and headed out the door.

            As soon as she closed the door behind her, she noticed someone standing in the shadows across the street. She walked across the street to see who it was.

            "We need to talk, B," Faith said, as Buffy came walking up.

            "What's wrong?" Buffy asked.

            "I've been thinking about some stuff lately," she answered.

            "What kind of stuff?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy, I need redemption," Faith said.

            "Huh?" Buffy questioned.

            "I've done some bad things in my life, some wrong things," Faith went on, "I've killed people, I've hurt them. And I need to redeem myself."

            "Don't you think that you already have?" Buffy asked.

            "That's the problem," Faith answered, "I don't know."

            "Faith," Buffy began, "You've helped us out a lot in the past year. I mean, sure you terrorized us a while back, but you've also helped a lot."

            "I know that," Faith replied, "But it hasn't been enough. I need to do more. I need to do more before I die. I have to redeem myself before the end. And I can't do it sitting around here, waiting for the First to kill us off."  
            "What are you saying?" Buffy asked.

            "I need to go away for a while. I need to leave here. I need to go out and find myself. I'm going to seek redemption for all the bad things that I've done in my life."

            "I see," Buffy replied, "Well Faith, I know that I can't keep you here. This is your decision to make. I just hope you're making the right one."

            "I will be back," Faith said, "I'll be back before the final fight, I'll be back to help."

            "I know, Faith," Buffy said, "I know."

             The two stood there, under the streetlight for a few moments. They both stared down at the ground. 

            "Buffy."            

            "Yeah Faith?"

            "I probably won't get to say this later, but thanks for everything."

            "Your welcome. I just hope you find what you're searching for out there."

            Faith turned and began to walk away. But she quickly turned back.

            "Just to let you know," she said, "The Hellmouth is underneath that place."

            "Huh?" Buffy questioned.

            "The Hellmouth is under the place where you're staying."

            "Thanks."

            "Goodbye, B."

            "Goodbye Faith and good luck."

            Faith turned back and disappeared into the darkness. Buffy watched her go until she couldn't see her anymore. She had lost someone, someone who could have been a big help. Buffy knew that she'd be back eventually. She just hoped Faith would be alright.


	9. Plans: Episode 9

Plans

Episode 9

Unknown Hotel:

            Buffy had gathered everyone in Willow and Kennedy's hotel room. Everyone but Spike, Giles, and Wood that is. She had to tell everyone what was going on. They all had to know. They had to know what was to come. They also had to know that someone was back.

            "Where's Faith?" Willow questioned as soon as everyone had quieted down. 

            "Well see," Buffy began, "That is part of the reason why I assembled all of you here today. Wait, where's Xander?"

            "Oh, he isn't feeling well," Andrew informed, "He told me to go without him."

            "Oh…okay," Buffy said, "Well then."

            Buffy cleared her throat. She walked to the front of the room. She had to make sure that all eyes were on her before she began to speak.

            "Last night," she began, "I had a talk with Faith. She told me that she needed to go out and discover herself. That she needed to find redemption. She wanted to make up for all the bad things she has done in her life."

            "Where are you going with this?" Giles asked.

            "Faith has gone away for a while," she replied.

            "What?" Eve asked, "She's gone?"

            "I'm sorry to say this, but yes, she's gone," Buffy repeated.

            Everyone remained silent for a few moments. They were still trying to take in the news they had just received.

            "Now I know all of you had suffered with Giles and Wood for a long while," Buffy began.

            Everyone nodded in agreement. She just hoped they didn't flip out at this one.

            "Both were under some sort of spell after the huge battle," she went on, "They were both tricked into believing I would kill them. I guess I broke the spell after I tossed them around a bit. I haven't seen Wood yet, but I've run into Giles. He's all better now."

            "Are you sure, Buffy?" Willow asked, "I mean they did try to kill us."

            "I talked with Giles," she answered, "He explained what happened as he was leaving the school back in Sunnydale. I will go into detail later."

            Everyone was very relieved about this news. She hoped that these next things wouldn't scare them to death.

            "On to the biggest news," Buffy began, "I hate to inform you of this, but we didn't defeat it."

            "Defeat what?" Andrew asked.

            "We won the battle, but not the war," she said.

            "Buffy, what are you getting at?" Willow asked.

            "I know what she's talking about," Kennedy interrupted, "The First."

            "Excuse me?" Danielle questioned.

            "She's right," Buffy said, "The First is back."

            "Are you kidding?" Ashley asked, "Are you telling us that we risked our lives for nothing?"

            "I'm not kidding and no you didn't," she replied, "We did weaken the First. It has to find another way to fight us."

            "Buffy, how can you be so sure that its back?" Willow asked.

            "I saw it, I heard it," she said, "And it wants revenge."

            The room was filled with yelling and fighting. Everyone was arguing over the big news. Buffy stood there, silently. She was thinking over what to do.

            "We don't even have as many fighters as we had before," Danielle put in.

            "I know that," Buffy said, "And I've thought it over and have everything planned. Giles is out trying to find Robin right now. Then, the two are going to go out on a search. They're gonna find and bring back as many potential slayers as possible."

            "But what about the scythe?" Vi asked.

            Buffy hoped that no one would go there. She didn't want to explain how she had lost it. She didn't want them to know. But now, she had no choice.

            "It was left behind," Buffy said.

            "Excuse me?" Ashley questioned, "You left behind one of our only chances of winning."

            "I didn't leave it behind," Buffy said, "I dropped it as I was trying to get out."

            "Oh," Vi said.

            "I have one more thing to inform you all of," Buffy said.

            The room got quiet once again. It took some time though.

            "Spike is back."

The Sewers:

            "Why won't you leave me alone?" Spike questioned.

            "Because you are a part of my plan," Spike replied.

            Spike was standing in a large area in the sewers. Facing him was himself.

            "What the bloody hell do you want with me?" Spike asked, "I'm just a useless vampire with a bloody soul."

            "That's the whole point," the other Spike said, "A while back, I attempted to torture Angelus and get him to kill the slayer. But of course, she ruined my plans."

            "Leave me the bloody hell alone!" Spike shouted in fury.

            "My plan to brainwash you before didn't work out," the other Spike said, "But this one will succeed."

Axel's Place:

            Buffy was lying in her bed. She just couldn't sleep. She felt so lonely without Spike. Although she had confessed her love to him, he still hadn't even held her yet. And she longed for it.

            She was tossing and turning in bed. She thought that she should be worrying about other things like the First Evil being back and all. But all she could think about was Spike. She wondered where he was right now. She remembered him saying that he slept in the park at night. She knew he wouldn't be safe there. 

            Buffy rose to her feet. She pulled on her leather jacket and boots. She dashed out the door and down the street. She arrived at the park a few minutes later. She walked through the paths until she came to the clearing where Spike slept. 

            There was no one under the benches. She was shocked. She wondered where the hell he could be. 

Downtown Haynesville:

            Buffy was very tired now. She'd spent most of the night out searching for Spike. He was no where to be found. She began heading back to Axel's place. He was still out of town, so she wouldn't be questioned coming in this late.

            She walked by a few of the larger buildings. Just as she walked by the last one, she heard someone shout. She couldn't make out what the person was saying.

            "Buffy!" someone shouted.

            Her head turned and she glanced up to the top of the building. She could see a shadowy outline of a figure. The person shouted again. This time, she realized who it was. She turned into the alley and headed towards the fire escape.

            She jumped and grabbed the lowest bar, pulling herself up. She managed to climb up. She raced up rows of steps until she reached the top. 

            There he was. The one she had been searching for all night. Spike was tied to some sort of platform. His arms and legs were tied down and he was standing upwards. She began to run over to him.

            "No!" Spike shouted, "Stay back!"

            Buffy stopped in her tracks. She stared at the vampire. The amulet was clearly in view now. She wanted to know what was going on. That's when two hooded stepped out of the shadows, in front of the vampire.

            "So you're the slayer?" the one asked.

            "The master said we'd get you here using the vampire as bait," the second said.

            "Who the hell are you?" Buffy questioned.

            "We're warlocks," the first one said, "And we're here to bring an end to you slayer."

            "So does everyone know that the slayer is here in town now?" Buffy asked, "I'm here for what, three months or so, and everyone knows already.

            "Shut your mouth, slayer!" the second one shouted.

            "Or what, you'll shoot your magical energy at me?" she asked.

            "Or we'll destroy your vampire friend here," the second one said.

            "Go ahead and use your magiks on him," Buffy said, "Turn him into a bat for all I care."

            "The way to destroy your friend has nothing to do with magiks," the first warlock said.

            "Yes, it involves something very simple," the second one went on.

            "Buffy!" Spike shouted, "Don't let them kill me!"

            "I won't," she called back.

            "That's if you can stop us," the second one replied.

            "You see," the first one began, "All we have to do is destroy the necklace and the vampire dies."

            "The amulet?" she questioned.

            "We told you it was very simple," the second one interrupted.

            "Spike, what are they talking about?" Buffy asked.

            "I'm not sure, Buffy," he replied, "I don't remember why. I just know that if the amulet is destroyed, I will die."

            "I won't let that happen," Buffy called

            She began running towards the two warlocks. They were still blocking her way to Spike. Just as she reached the warlocks, she planted her feet and then leaped over them. She landed back on her feet. She turned and kicked both warlocks. They fell to the ground. 

            Buffy grabbed at Spike's ropes. She tore the ones keeping his arms down, out of the ground. She glanced over and the two warlocks were back on their feet.

            "Come now slayer," the first one said, "Do you really think you can defeat us?"

            "I dunno," Buffy replied, "But I sure can try."

            She left Spike and headed into battle. She figured that he'd be all right. She gave the first warlock a round house kick. She heard a snap as her feet connected with his face. He fell to the ground. The second one came at her. She grabbed him, tossing him across the rooftop.

            "And you guys are warlocks?" she questioned, "Where's the magik?"

            Only the second one stood up. The first warlock appeared to be dead. Buffy tossed him aside. The second one began chanting something. Suddenly, a bubble fell from the sky. She was encased in it.

            "Next time I'll know not to open my big mouth," Buffy mumbled.

             Buffy began struggling, trying to break free of her prison. She couldn't figure out how to get out. She stopped when she noticed the second warlock approaching Spike. Of course, Spike saw him approaching. He pulled the ropes keeping his legs down, out of the ground. 

            The warlock was surprised. He didn't think that Spike would be able to break free. Of course, he hadn't seen Buffy break his arms free. Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy noticed that the first warlock was gone. She looked all around the rooftop, but couldn't find him.

            Spike grabbed the warlock by the neck. His grip tightened as the warlock gasped for air. That's when Buffy realized how to get out of the bubble. She pulled out her stake and thrust it at the bubble. It popped, sending her to the ground. She quickly rose to her feet and ran to Spike.

            "Stop Spike," she informed.

            "What?" he asked, "Why?"

            "We need information," she replied.

            "Oh, right," he said.

            Spike loosened his grip around the warlock's neck. He picked out one of the ropes and tied it around his legs. The warlock fell to the ground, face first. Spike then took another rope and tied it around his arms. He pulled the warlock to his feet, regaining his grip on the neck.

            "Who are you?" Buffy asked.

            "It doesn't matter," the warlock replied.

            Buffy nodded her head. Spike grip tightened on the warlock's neck. He began gasping for air. His face began to get blue.

            "Have you had enough?" Buffy questioned.

            The warlock shook his head. Spike loosened his grip.

            "So are you going to talk now?" she asked.

            The warlock shook his head yes. Buffy smirked.

            "Who are you?" she asked.

            "We are very powerful warlocks," he answered, "My name is Max and my partner's name is Mark."

            "What are you doing here?" she asked.

            "Our master sent us here to finish off the vampire," he replied, "He wants him dead."

            "Your master?" she questioned.

            "He is the all-powerful," the warlock replied, "He will kill you all and take over the world."

            Buffy paused for a few moments. She needed to gather her thoughts. That's when it hit her.

            "Your master is the First Evil," she said.

            "Are you sure Buffy?" Spike asked.

            "It's the same thing that the vampire queen was saying too," Buffy said, "The First is somehow controlling them all."

            "What do you want me to do with this one?" Spike questioned.

            "Just get rid of him," Buffy replied.

            Spike tightened his grip on the warlock's neck. He began frantically gasping for air. His face was beginning to get pale.

            "This just isn't working for me," Spike said, "It's just not my style."

            Spike gripped both sides of the warlock's head. He twisted his hands, snapping the warlock's neck. He let go and the warlock fell to the ground, dead.

            "Where'd the other one go?" Spike questioned.

            "I'm not sure," Buffy replied, "But I know he will be back later. And when he returns, I will finish this little battle."

Unknown Hotel:

            "Spike was attacked by warlocks?" Giles questioned.

            "Yes," Buffy replied, "They had him tied down to the roof of a building. They said they were using him as bait to get to me."

            "Were they powerful warlocks?" Willow asked.

            "I'm not sure," Buffy answered, "They didn't use any magik. The one trapped me in a bubble, but I broke out pretty easily."

            Buffy was in Willow and Kennedy's hotel room. Giles and Andrew were also there. But Xander had stayed in his apartment. Buffy was explaining to everyone the night's events.

            "What happened to them?" Kennedy asked.

            "Well we killed one of them," Buffy said.

            "What about the other?" Giles asked.

            "I knocked him out, I think," she replied, "But he might have gotten away."

            "Do you think it will come back?" Andrew asked.

            "The chances are very high," Willow answered.

            "They also said something about his amulet," Buffy added.

            "Amulet?" Giles questioned.

            "The one that I got from Angel that caused Sunnydale to collapse," she replied.

            "What did they say about it?" Giles asked.

            "Something about if it was destroyed, Spike would die," she informed, "But that was it. No specific details."

            "How did Spike come back?" Willow asked, "That's the one thing that has been bothering me since you told all of us."

            "I'm not sure," she replied, "He didn't even know. His memory is all messed up. I guess I tapped into some of his memories when he kept seeing me and now he remembers some things."

            "Giles, maybe Angel knows something," Willow put in.

            "We're not exactly on his good side, remember?" Giles reminded.

            "What?" Buffy questioned, "What happened?"

            "We stopped in Los Angeles on our way here," Giles began, "Willow and I went in and told him that you had died. I tried to keep what had happened a secret from him, but Willow told him everything. He kicked us out. He was extremely pissed."

            "You told him I was dead?" Buffy questioned.

            "Well yes," Giles replied, "That's what we had thought happened. And I was under a sort of spell."

            "I'll call him," Buffy said, "It'll just be a very long conversation."

            "Hopefully, he can tell us more about the amulet and what it has to do with and what is going on with Spike," Willow said.

            "Then I'll find out about those warlocks," Buffy said, "We do need to figure out why the First is controlling things to do its work."

South Africa, Spring 2003:

            Three shamans stood around a large chalk circle. They were chanting something in an ancient mysterious language. They were situated in a cavern somewhere in South Africa. They were conducting some kind of ancient ritual. 

            Suddenly, a dark light poured out from the circle. The men's faces were lit up. They were so excited that their ritual had succeeded.

            "It feels so good to finally be released!" someone said.

            The men all glanced around, looking for the source of the voice. That's when they realized it came from everywhere.

            "I detect an evil presence somewhere on this planet," the voice said, "A great and powerful evil."

            "Oh great one," one of the shaman spoke up, "What do you command us to do?"  
            That's when a great dark cloud formed at the top of the cavern. It began to rain. The men began to scream in pain and agony. Their flesh was burning away. Soon all that was left was their bones.


	10. Oracles: Episode 10

Oracles

Episode 10

Willow and Kennedy's Room:

            Buffy had just gotten off the phone. She had about a two hour long phone conversation with Angel. Afterwards, she returned to Willow's hotel room to tell the gang what she found out.

            During her phone conversation, she had to explain everything to Angel. The main thing was the fact that she was still alive. She told him that Giles had been under a trance and that the First Evil was not destroyed. Then she moved on to questions about the amulet.

            "What did you find out about the amulet?" Willow asked.

            "Very little," Buffy replied, "I mean I already knew some but Angel didn't know much more than he told me before."

            "Well what did you know?" Giles questioned.

            "That it was very powerful and that it had cleansing power. And that it bestowed power to the right person that wore it," she answered.

            "Who is the right person?" Xander asked.

            "A champion," she replied, "Someone ensouled, more than human."

            "Is that all?" Kennedy questioned, "It's not much."

            "Well, Angel told me that it had something to do with the Shanshu Prophecy," she informed.

            "The what prophecy?" Willow asked.

            "The Shanshu Prophecy," she repeated.

            "What's that?" Kennedy questioned.

            "He said he didn't know," she told them, "He just said it had something to do with a vampire."

            "Well, we should research," Willow said.

            "That's a good idea, Willow," Giles said, "I'll stop by the library and get some books."

            Buffy turned and headed towards the door. She opened it and stepped out.

            "Where are you going, Buffy?" Giles questioned

            "You know me, not much for the researching," she replied, "Besides I've got something else to do."

            And with that Buffy was gone. Willow pulled out her laptop and began typing away. Everyone gathered around her.

            "How come she gets to go out?" Kennedy questioned.

            "Because she's responsible and can take care of herself," Giles answered.

            "And I can't?" Kennedy asked.

            "No, it's just some people would prefer your company," Willow told her, smiling.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Buffy had gathered all the supplies she needed. Now she was walking around downtown, searching for energy. Angel told her that she'd be able to feel its power. She turned into the alley where she felt strong energy.

            She pulled a small urn and some herbs out of her bag. She placed the urn down and poured the herbs into it. Then she took a rock and ground them up. After they were completely ground, she sprinkled them around the alley. 

            That's when a door opened in the building. It just appeared out of no where. She placed the urn on the ground and pulled out a necklace from her pocket. She walked through the doorway.

Willow and Kennedy's Room:

            The gang was still in Willow's room. Giles had returned from the library with several large ancient books. Giles, Andrew, and Kennedy were searching through them, while Willow searched online with her laptop. 

            "We're getting no where!" Kennedy shouted slamming him book on the table.

            "Calm down," Willow said, "There has to be something on this Shanshu Prophecy."

            "I've found it!" Giles exclaimed, rising to his feet.

            Everyone stood up and rushed over to where Giles was. They crowded around him, looking at the book.

            "It says the Shanshu Prophecy will come true when the ensouled vampire fulfills their destiny," Giles read.

            "Is that all?" Kennedy asked.

            "Yeah, doesn't it say what will happen when the vampire fulfills their destiny?" Andrew asked.

            "No, this is all that it says," he told them, "There is very little information in this book."

            "And that means?" Kennedy asked.

            "That we need to keep searching," Giles replied.

            "I knew it!" Kennedy exclaimed.

            Giles sat back down and opened another book. The rest of the gang went back to researching also.

The Gateway to the Oracles:

            Buffy was surrounded by darkness. Everything was black. She could see nothing. She turned around to see the doorway close. Now she was stuck there for a while

           She glanced around and saw two figures coming towards. It was a man and a woman. Now she was really confused.

            "Your sacrifice?" the woman asked.

            Buffy reached forward, the necklace in hand. She carefully gave it to the woman. The woman took the necklace gracefully and slipped it around her neck.

            "So the slayer has finally paid us a visit," the man said.

            "You and that witch were the ones that temporarily messed with the slayer line," the woman said, "Her magiks temporarily altered the future. Luckily it was only for a short while."

            "Yeah well, it was our only choice," Buffy spoke up, "We needed to win."

            "It doesn't seem like it mattered now, does it?" the woman questioned.

            "We weakened the First," Buffy said, "So it was necessary."

            "As you say, slayer," the woman replied, "However, the First Evil isn't your biggest problem anymore."

            "What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

            "There is something more powerful afoot," the man told her, "Something that the First Evil will fear."

            "What is it?" Buffy asked.

            "You will find out soon enough, slayer," the woman replied, "A few months ago, three men tampered with great magiks and freed her from her realm. She is back."

            "What is?" Buffy questioned, becoming frustrated.

            "Before time existed, there were two being," the man began, "Two Gods, they were. They were the two that created the universe, created your world and all the others. One was the good being; he created all things good in the universe. The other was the evil being; she created all things evil. They were both all powerful, but she wanted more. She wanted to rule all good things, but he wouldn't let her. A great battle started between the two. Many dimensions and beings were destroyed in this battle. The victor was indeed the good being. When she was weak enough, he banished her into an empty dimension for eternity."

            "And now what?" Buffy asked.

            "The men heard of this story and believed it," the woman informed, "We have no clue how they discovered it at all, but they did. They used their magiks to break the seal on her dimension and free her. And now everyone and everything is in great danger."

            "How do I stop it?" Buffy asked.

            "We do not know," the woman answered, "There may not be a way to stop her."

            "You must not tell anyone about this," the man told her, "No one must know."

            "But…" Buffy began.

            "No!" the man shouted, interrupting her, "They will all know when the time comes."

            "Now what have you come here seeking?" the woman asked her.

            "Spike," Buffy said, "What happened with him?"

            "Ah…the vampire with the soul," the woman said, "He had fulfilled his destiny. He was sent back to earth."

            "Is that all?" Buffy asked.

            "Yes," the man told her, "The Powers That Be sent him back."  

            "The Shanshu Prophecy," Buffy asked, "What is it?"

            "When an ensouled vampire fulfills his destiny, he will become mortal," the man answered, "The vampire made the ultimate sacrifice. He sacrificed himself for the world, for the safety of humans. He adverted the apocalypse with his sacrifice. The vampire is human."

            "Spike's human," Buffy said.

            "But there is one drawback," the woman said, "He needs to hold onto that amulet. It is his lifeline."

            She stood there in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Spike was no longer a vampire, but a human. She had always believed that it would be Angel to become human. 

            "Any other questions that you seek answers for?" the woman asked.

            Buffy shook her head no. The man and woman began walking away from her. The doorway reopened behind Buffy. She turned around and walked out, back into the sunlight.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Buffy was walking alone downtown. She had to clear her head. She couldn't think about the things she had just learned from the oracles. It was all overwhelming. She couldn't tell anyone the thing about Spike yet. She had to prove it.

            She walked slowly through the streets. There were a few people here and there, but that was all. This town was slightly smaller than Sunnydale and had less people. The thing that bothered her was the fact that no one knew their town was on a Hellmouth.

            Suddenly, she was hit by a beam of energy from an alley. It knocked her on her back, in the street. Buffy glanced up to see a truck barreling towards her. The driver slammed on the breaks and the truck stopped inches in front of her.

            Buffy rose to her feet and looked towards the alley. There he stood; the warlock that she had failed to kill; the one she let get away.

            "You thought you killed me, slayer," the warlock said, "Didn't you notice that my body wasn't there?"

            He shot another beam of energy towards her. She dove out of the way. It hit the truck. Unfortunately, the truck was a gas truck and it exploded in a huge fireball. Buffy shielded her eyes from the explosion.

            When she glanced towards the warlock, he was on the ground. The explosion had knocked him off his feet. Buffy heard the sounds of the fire engines on their way to the scene. She wondered how this was going to be explained.

            She ran towards the warlock. She grabbed him by his neck and pulled him to his feet. 

            "Wasn't that just the smartest magik trick you just pulled," Buffy said sarcastically, "Now how am I supposed to explain that to the police?"

            The warlock didn't answer. He just looked her in the eyes. She looked back and noticed pure hatred.

            "I can't kill you know either because your body doesn't turn to dust," she told him, "You know, just teleport both of us out of here."

            "I'd rot in hell before I helped you out, slayer," he said.

            And with that, he was gone. He had teleported safely away. And now Buffy would have to explain what happened to the police. She would have to find the warlock later.

The Sewers:

            Buffy was wondering through the damp sewers. She needed to find Spike. She needed his help in finding this warlock. It had taken a while to get away from the police. They had so many questions about the accident. Of course she had to lie to them.

            "Spike!" Buffy called as she entered the area where he stayed.

            "What's wrong, Buffy?" Spike asked, standing up.

            "I need you to help me find something," she said, walking towards him, "Actually someone."

            Buffy continued walking towards him. Just before she reached him, her foot got caught on something. She tripped and fell forward. Spike stepped forward and caught her in his arms. She breathed a sigh of relief. 

            "Thanks," she replied, looking up at his face.

            "No problem, luv," he said.

            That's when Buffy noticed it. Spike had a heartbeat and he was breathing. She was shocked. She still couldn't believe it. She placed her feet on the ground and stood up.

            "Spike, I have something to tell you."

            "What is it, luv?"

            "I went to visit some oracles today," she began, "I found out something important."

            "What did you find out?" 

            "It has to do with you and coming back to Earth." 

            "What's wrong, Buffy?"

            "Spike…you're human."

            "Oh come on, Buffy. Do you expect me to believe that?"

            "When you died, did you talk to the Powers That Be?"

            "Come to think of it, yes I did."

            "Do you remember anything they said to you?"

            "It was one. Looked like Anya, she did."

            "Anya?"

            "That doesn't matter right now. But yes, I do remember a little. She said something about me coming back different. Buffy, I wasn't supposed to have any memories of my past, any memories of you or what happened. But me being alive, that's not true. It can't be."

            "Spike, feel for a heartbeat."

            Spike slowly took his hand and placed it where his heart would be. He pressed it to his chest and wait. His face was filled with horror. He had a heartbeat.

            "Luv...Buffy..."

            "Yes Spike?"

            "I'm alive."

            "I know Spike. But there's one thing you need to know. You hafta keep the amulet on or you will die."

            Spike embraced her in a large hug. She hugged him back. Buffy broke it and kissed him. Spike returned that kiss. After a few moments, Spike broke the kiss.

            "What was it you came to ask me, luv?" he asked.

            "It doesn't matter now."

Downtown Haynesville:

            Buffy and Spike were now walking through town. Buffy finally told him why she came to see him in the first place. Spike agreed to help, although, he couldn't track the warlock by smelling him.

            They had been searching all over town for more than an hour. Their efforts proved to be futile. Buffy was just about to give up for the night, when she heard a voice call out.

            "Slayer!" the warlock shouted, "Did you really think I was through with you?"

            Buffy's head turned to where the voice was coming from. She looked across the street and saw him, the warlock.

            "Oh and you brought the vampire this time," he said, "Now I can kill both of you."

            The warlock began chanting very quickly. Buffy made a mad dash across the street. She had to stop him before he used magik and hurt anyone. She leaped towards him, attempting to tackle. Suddenly, his eyes became black and a great force of energy flew from his body.

            The energy hit Buffy. She flew back across the street, hitting Spike. Both fell to the ground. Buffy looked up to see the warlock floating towards them. She quickly jumped to her feet. 

            The warlock reached them and began chanting once again. Buffy took this opportunity to fight back. She gave him a front kick to the face. She heard a loud crack. The warlock continued chanting though. Buffy gave him another front kick to the head. This time it didn't work. He caught her foot in midair.

            "Nice try, slayer," the warlock said, "Did you think I'd let you do it again?"

            He twisted her leg and she gasped in pain. Spike rose to his feet and lunged at the warlock. The warlock swung his fist, knocking Spike back to the ground. He was bleeding already.

            The warlock swung Buffy by her leg and tossed her through the front window of a shop. The glass shattered and she landed on her side in the store. She slowly stood up, pulling shards of glass from her skin. 

            That's when she remembered something. She had brought a stake with her. She slid it out of her pocket and gripped it tightly. Meanwhile, the warlock held Spike tightly around the neck with one hand.

            "See vampire," he said, "Now you know what it felt like when you did this to my partner."

            Spike was turning blue. He couldn't breathe. He was slowly dying. Darkness was slowly taking over his vision. Buffy leaped through the broken window at the warlock. She thrust her stake into his back, causing him to shout in pain.

            Spike was dropped to the ground. He was coughing, trying to catch his breath. Buffy pulled the stake out of the warlock and tripped him. She gripped the stake tightly and raised it above him. 

            She shoved it downward, into the heart of the warlock. He shouted in pain and anguish as it plunged into his heart. He died instantly. Buffy pulled the stake out and slid it back into her pocket. Then she walked over to help Spike up.

Axel's Place:

            Buffy had brought Spike back to Axel's place. Luckily Axel was out of town still. He'd be back in a few days. She had the whole place to herself and she loved it. 

            "Spike, I want you to stay with me," she said.

            Spike smiled. Buffy slowly crawled into bed. She motioned for him to climb in with her. He slid off his leather duster and carefully crawled in next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. They were finally together.

            Buffy slowly drifted to sleep in his arms. She was happy. She finally had someone she could be with. Spike lay, smiling as he watched her drift into a deep sleep. He was human. He had a heartbeat and could breathe. He was alive again, for the first time in over 100 years. And he was happy.


	11. Truths: Episode 11

Truths

Episode 11 (Part I)

Axel's Place:

            Buffy was so happy. All she kept thinking about was the night she had slept with Spike. Not in that sense though. Spike had spent the night in Buffy's bed, just holding her. That was all that she could think about. Her friends had no clue what was going on though. She didn't tell them about the new Spike yet.

            She had invited Willow over to watch movies. They hadn't done a girl's night in a very long time. Not since high school. Buffy had to try her absolute hardest to keep her mouth shut. She couldn't tell anyone yet; she didn't want to tell anyone yet.

            "So are you sure that this Axel guy won't mind me being here?" Willow questioned, after the movie was finished.

            "What he won't know won't hurt him," Buffy replied.

            "Where is this guy anyway? I still haven't met him," Willow asked.

             "Oh he's out of town on some business thing of some sort. I don't know if you'll ever meet him."

            "Oh and how come?" 

            "I mean I don't plan on living here for the rest of my life."

            "Are you telling me that you've been living with this normal guy and you haven't had any 'bondage' at all?"

            "That's right," she replied.

            "Come on, Buffy," Willow said, "You haven't officially dated anyone since Riley. That was a few years ago."

            "I know, Will, but I'm just not into the whole dating thing. I just can't bring myself to do it. And besides, I don't want to get anyone involved in all the weirdness that we face."

            "You said he slays vampires and demons for a living. He's gotta know a lot about the weird stuff."

            "I just don't know, Will. I don't want to hurt anyone. It seems like I'm good at hurting guys."

            "Oh…I see. But don't think that way Buffy. It's not you, it's them. You're a great girl; they just are too blind to see that."

            "No don't try and make me feel better with that. I know that it's me, not them."

            "Oh…"

            "I'll find someone someday, Wills. Don't worry about me."

Outskirts of Haynesville:

            A car drove down the road, nearing the town of Haynesville, Louisiana. The guy had never been here before, but he had to tell someone something. It was very important that she be told this information. She was in danger.

            The car sped past the 'Welcome to Haynesville' sign. It looked just like the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign that he had come to know from his frequent visits there, before the town collapsed. He would never forget that last time he went to Sunnydale. 

He had come to her with something important. It was something that had helped saved the world, something that his ashes should have been buried with. He thought it was his destiny to wear it. But he was wrong.

Behind this car, a large van was also heading into town. Unlike the guy in the car, the guy in the van had been to Haynesville before. As a matter of fact, he lived and worked there. He protected the town from demons and vampires. Of course, he was on his way home from a business trip. 

The man couldn't wait to get back to the girl he had left at his place. He had a thing for her. He knew there was something special about her since the time he had found her in that desert. He just couldn't figure out what was so special about her. It seemed that she was surrounded by darkness and deadly secrets. 

The van drove on, so did the car. Neither knew that the other was going to visit the same person, the same young woman. And that young woman had no idea that these two men were coming.

Haynesville Cemetery:

Buffy was bored. Slaying had been very slowly lately. There didn't seem to be any vampires or demons around at all. She was even more surprised at the fact that there wasn't anything lurking in the cemetery. 

"If the First is here in town, where are all the minions?" Buffy questioned aloud, "There's gotta be one vampire around here somewhere."

Buffy continued walking through the dark cemetery. The moon was her only source of light. She walked past a few mausoleums and trees. Again, there was nothing.

"Bored, huh?" someone questioned.

Buffy spun quickly to the direction that the voice had come from. She was ready for a fight. She saw it. A vampire was standing under a lone tree. Her special slayer sense told her it was a vampire. She couldn't see any features due to the shadows.

"What do you want?" she replied, pulling a stake out of her pocket.

"To help," the vampire replied.

"Who are you?" Buffy questioned.

"What, you don't recognize your ex's voice?" the man asked.

"Angel?" Buffy asked.

Angel stepped out of the shadow of the tree and into the moonlight. He approached Buffy. They were both smiling.

"It's so good to see you again," Buffy told him.

            "I'm glad that you're still alive and well," Angel replied, "Looks like you're doing pretty well here."

            "Yup," she replied, "How's LA?"

            "It's good," he answered, "I'm guessing that you heard we got the LA branch of Wolfram and Hart."

            "The evil law firm?" she asked.

            "Yes."

            "No, I didn't know that. How'd you get it?"

            "I'm not really sure. They just offered it to us and we accepted. It's a pretty nice place though."

            "Not to spoil the moment, but what are you doing here?"

            "Well not to be the bringer of bad news, but I have some."

            "What's wrong?"

            "Something has be brought forth into this dimension," Angel began, "It is extremely powerful. Buffy, this thing even has power over the Powers that Be."

            "The oracles, they told me about this," she replied, "They told me that some god-like evil had been released into our dimension."

            "Not god-like," Angel told her, "She is a god; a very powerful god, capable of destroying this dimension. Wait, did you say the oracles told you?"

            "Yeah," she said, "Remember you told me to go visit them? They told me all about this evil god."

            "Those were not the oracles speaking to you," he replied.

            "Huh?"

            "Buffy, my people have been working round the clock learning things about this god. They discovered that she has the power to control mystical beings, meaning anything that has direct contact to the Powers. The oracles are being controlled by her. I'm surprised that she told you so much information about herself."

            "Angel, how do I stop this thing?"

            "I'm not sure, Buffy. I don't even think you will even be able to."

            The two of them were now walking along the path in the cemetery. It was growing late but neither cared.

            "I've come with more news," Angel began.

            "What is it?" Buffy asked.

            "Spike is back," he answered.

            "I know."

"You what?" he questioned, he seemed a little shocked.

"I know Spike is back and he's human," she repeated, "He's probably sleeping in the sewers right now."

"Buffy, Spike is back at Wolfram and Hart," he informed. 

"Now what are you talking about?" she questioned.

"An envelope was delivered to me a few months ago. Inside was the amulet that I gave to you. It dropped on the floor and Spike appeared. But he wasn't corporeal. He's a ghost."

"No, Spike is here."

"Buffy, my people do not know exactly what has been going on. They do know, however, that this god is manipulating you."

"With Spike?"

"I would assume so. Buffy whatever you have seen over the past weeks has not been what it seems. I need to run another scan, but I'm guessing that she is creating a form of Spike from your mind."

Buffy was confused. She couldn't believe that something could have this much power. Sure she had gone up against Glory, who was supposedly a god, but this thing truly sounded like a god, something all powerful and all seeing.

"Buffy, this thing is so powerful that it even has the First Evil convinced," Angel informed, "The First has been communicating with this form of Spike and has no idea that it is not communicating with the real thing."

"Angel, I'm scared," Buffy told him.

"I know, Buffy," he replied, "And I will do my best to protect you."

He wrapped his arms around her small frame, giving her a hug. She reached her arms around him, hugging him in return.

"I need to get back to LA," he said, ending the hug, "Please keep all this to yourself. The others will find out soon enough. I will be back in a few months. In the meantime, keep safe. Goodbye, Buffy."

Angel turned and began heading off into the darkness of the night. Buffy watched as he disappeared into the darkness.

"Goodbye, Angel," she said, then began heading home.

Axel's Place:

            Buffy sat on her bed, the one that Axel had been letting her use. She was trying to take all that Angel had told her in. She couldn't believe it. The Spike she had been interacting with was not the real one. It was a form that some evil entity had created to mess with her.

            She knew that she couldn't confront this form anymore now that she knew what it truly was. She couldn't believe that she had grown close to something that wasn't real, couldn't believe that she had been protecting something that wasn't real. She felt defenseless, weak. How could she not have noticed?

            "I'm back," someone called from the front door.

            Buffy rose to her feet. She guessed she could say that she was happy to see him. In was indeed true that Axel was back from what could be called a business trip. She headed towards the door to greet him.

            "Hey Axel," she said when she saw him.

            "Hi Buffy," he said, "It's so nice to see you again. Thanks for taking care of this place for me."

            "No problem," she replied, "How was the business?"

            "It was tough," he answer, "A whole town had been invaded by zombies. They roamed the town by night terrorizing the citizens. Jason and Marie stayed to keep watch for a few weeks so that no zombies would come back."

            "Well that's interesting."

            "How's everything been around here?"

            "It's all been pretty good actually. Nothing bad and I haven't seen any vampires."

            "That's good. I guess this town has been quieting down a little. And I'm glad to here it. I need a little break."

Axel's Basement, AKA the Hellmouth:

            Spike was wondering around, looking for the opening to the Hellmouth. He knew it was down here somewhere. The sooner he found it, the sooner he could open it. Hell needed to be released on earth. It needed to swallow the planet up. Unfortunately for him, one had closed up the previous year. This upset him a little.

            He began moving things around, trying to find it. He was beginning to get frustrated. It shouldn't be that hard for an evil entity to find a source of evil.

            "Looking for something?" a voice called.

            "Just the opening to the Hellmouth, mate," Spike called, obviously not threatened by this intruder.

            "So the good, ensouled vampire had a change of heart, huh?" it questioned.

            "That's right," he replied, "I've changed mate. I ain't afraid of you no more. It was all an act. I had to play it out for a while. You know, get the girl to believe it was really Spike. Seems like she's on to me. I've messed up my plan a little. Guess I leaked too much information to the bint. Oh well."

            Spike turned from his searching to see what form it had come to him in. The First stepped forward, in the form of Principal Wood. Spike smirked.

            "So you killed off the ol' principal, eh?" Spike asked, "Now what did the bugger ever do to you?"

            "Who are you?" Wood questioned.

            "I'm your worst nightmare," he replied, "I know what you are. The supposed all-powerful, First Evil. You are nothing compared to me, one of the first two gods. They call me the Goddess of Evil."

            Spike picked up a long metal rod and spun it around. He was amusing himself.

            "I guess I must be the all-powerful one if I had you, the First Evil, convinced that I was really the souled vampire. I have power over the girl, power of you, even power over the Powers. You are all nothing compared to me. I will soon take control of this dimension. All the Hellmouths around the world will open at once and release everything inside. Earth will become Hell."

            The look on Wood's face was pure horror. It was obvious that the First was terrified. And that was a definite first. It seemed like the all-powerful evil was not so all-powerful anymore. 

            "I will defeat you soon enough," Spike said, now swinging the pool, "And then I will move onto the girl. You see, you are my biggest obstacle right now. And I will exterminate you."

            The First had heard enough. It was in big trouble. It may have finally met its match and it certainly knew so. It couldn't stand against the Goddess of Evil. As a matter of fact, nothing could. The First, in the form of Robin Wood, disappeared slowly, still observing the vampire as it went.

            Spike had dropped the rod. He'd gone back to searching for the Hellmouth opening. After searching for a bit longer, he located it. It was a seal, the seal of Danthalzar. The same one that was at the entrance to every Hellmouth in the world. 

Haynesville Cemetery, the Next Day:

            Buffy was really surprised. Axel still had no clue that she was the slayer. What also surprised her was the fact that he was still bent on trying to find the slayer. He had willingly allowed her to go out for a walk. But he made her bring a stake. Lucky for her, she always carried one around.

            She was patrolling the cemetery again tonight. She really didn't get that much patrolling done the previous night after she ran into Angel. And she didn't think she'd run into a familiar face again. But boy was she wrong.

            "Evenin' luv," Spike said, coming up behind her.

            Buffy knew she had known she was being followed for some time now. She just didn't think it would be him. Actually, she hoped it wouldn't be him because she didn't want to have to confront him after what she had found out. 

            "Hi Spike," Buffy replied.

            "Haven't seen you since the other night, luv. Where've you been?" he questioned.

            "You know, just around. I've been pretty busy with patrolling and all," she answered, "I just haven't had the opportunity to stop by. I'm sorry."

            "S'okay, luv," he said, "I've just missed you so much. I've missed holding you in my arms."

            "I know, Spike," she replied, "I've missed it to."

            The two continued walking. It seemed like they were taking the same path her and Angel had taken only the night before. Buffy's mind was clouded with thoughts about this false Spike. She knew that she couldn't reveal to him that she knew what he really was.

            "You know, I try my hardest for you, luv," Spike began, stopping, "I really have."

            "Spike, what are you talking about?" she asked.

            "I've tried my hardest to win you over, to earn your love," he went on, "But it just doesn't seem like its working. What the hell is wrong with you?"

            "Calm down, Spike. Just calm down," she said softly.

            That's when Spike started chuckling. The chuckling soon turned into laughter. 

            "You know, I've had way too much fun these past few weeks," he continued, "Torturing you. Seeing you upset is going to be so much fun."

           Spike was no longer standing next to her. In his place was the form of a woman. But it was corporeal unlike the First. The woman stood slightly taller than Buffy. She had long, straight black hair and all black eyes. She reminded Buffy of the way Willow looked that time that she went all evil.

            Buffy could feel the evil radiating off of this woman. She truly was the purest of all evil, The Goddess of Evil.

            "I chose this form over all the other ones. I prefer this one better," she said, "It's because I look just like someone from your race."

            "You think I'm scared of you?" Buffy questioned.

           "You should be little girl," the woman said, "For soon Hell will be released on Earth and you won't be able to stop it. You will die."

            "Bring it on!" Buffy exclaimed, "You don't seem so tough."

            The woman snapped her fingers. A small crack opened in the ground. Two demons crawled their way out and stood between Buffy and the Goddess.

            "Not so tough now, are we slayer?" The Goddess asked.

            Buffy reached into her pocket and pulled out her stake. The demons began advancing on her. The growled menacingly. Buffy stood her ground.

            "Here's your first test," the woman told her, "It was nice meeting you slayer. And this won't be our last encounter, I assure you."

            And with that the Goddess of Evil was gone. But the demons were still there. They drew closer to her. They were kind of tall and their skin was green. Three long, sharp-looking claws protruded from their hands. They looked dangerous.

            One demon charged her, claws slashing. Buffy just barely backed out of the way of the claws. The other one came at her, swiping, just missing once again. 

            "You guys are tough," she said, breathing heavily.

            The two double-teamed her this time. Both sets of claws met their mark, Buffy's chest and stomach. Blood seeped through her torn clothing. Buffy winced in pain as she jumped back from another attack.

            "Foolish slayer," the one demon hissed, "You cannot defeat us. We will kill you now."

            The demon lunged at her, claws thrashing. Buffy dove underneath him. The demon landed face first in the dirt. Unfortunately, the second demon did not miss. It's claws sliced across Buffy's back, causing her to gasp in pain. These demons sure did not like to give shallow cuts.

           The first demon reached out and slashed at her legs, slicing them deep. She gasped in pain again. She began to panic. Blood was seeping from all over as she struggled to keep on her feet. She began to feel light-headed. No doubt from loss of blood. She didn't know how much more she could take of this. Certainly, her slayer powers wouldn't make her heal that fast. 

            Dark spots began to appear in the corner of her eyes. She knew that she was losing consciousness and fast. She tried to hold it off, knowing that she'd be dead shortly. She had failed. 

            Buffy slowly dropped to her knees. Everything was becoming dark now. Everything seemed so distant. The last thing she saw was the demons approaching her, ready to attack. Her body leaned forward. And that's when everything got dark. She fell to the ground, face first. She lay there lifelessly, bleeding from her many wounds.

TO BE CONTINUED


	12. Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Episode 12

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Episode 12 (Part II)

Pizza Parlor, Downtown Haynesville:

            The gang all sat around a large table, eating lunch and discussing important issues. It was Willow, Giles, Kennedy, and Andrew. Kennedy didn't really seem to be into the discussion because she was trying to tease Willow under the table. Andrew was obviously bored and didn't want to be there.

            "Has anyone seen Buffy lately?" Giles questioned, "I haven't seen her for quite some time now."

            "I saw her the other day," Willow replied, "We had kind of a girl's night. You know movies and such."

            Willow shuddered as Kennedy rubbed her leg lightly under the table. She pushed it away very quickly though. Kennedy wasn't offended, but she knew Willow wanted more. She decided to refrain from anything else until later.

            "How long ago was that?" Giles asked.

            "Umm…" Willow stopped talking to think for a moment, "It was two nights ago."

            "Has anyone else seen her since then?" he asked, obviously worried.

            "I'm sure she's fine, Giles," Willow responded, "She's probably just resting up a little. I'd be too if I was in her position. I mean with the First Evil and all still running around. It's gotta be a little hectic for her."

            "Willow's right," Kennedy assured, "I'm sure she's just fine."

The Cemetery:

_"Go!" Buffy shouted._

_            "Buffy, it's started," Dawn told her._

_            Buffy spun around and looked at the portal growing bigger. Suddenly, a bolt struck the road, causing it to cave it. Another bolt hit a building, totally destroying it. Giles, who was below, stared up at the portal. Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara slowly rose to their feet. Spike rolled out of the way as the ground beneath him opened up._

_            Buffy turned back to Dawn, who was staring at the portal. _

_            "I'm sorry," Dawn said, crying._

_            "It doesn't matter," Buffy replied._

_            Dawn attempted to shove past Buffy. Luckily, Buffy grabbed her, preventing her from going anywhere._

_            "What are you doing?" Buffy questioned._

_            "I have to jump. The energy."_

_            "It'll kill you."_

_            "I know…I know about the ritual. I have to stop it."_

_            "No!"_

_            The tower shook violently, causing them both to stumble._

_            "I have to," Dawn informed, "Look at what's happening."_

_            Suddenly a dragon-like demon flew out of the portal. It flew by the tower, and then flew away. They both watched it for a moment. _

_            "Buffy, you have to let me go. Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing, it'll never stop. You know you have to let me. It has to have the blood."_

_            Buffy looked at her in awe. She was remembering things. Stuff was coming back to her. She turned towards the edge and glanced at the portal. She looked peaceful as she turned back to Dawn._

_            "Buffy, no!"_

_            "Dawnie, I have to."_

_            "No!"_

_            "Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time. Listen."_

_            She pulled Dawn towards her, holding her as she spoke to the young girl._

_            "Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will *always* love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out. And, and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me."_

_            She stroked Dawn's face and then kissed her cheek. Dawn stood there crying, unable to believe what her sister was going to do. Buffy turned and ran down the platform. She jumped off and did a swan-dive off the edge and into the portal. She fell into the portal._

_            The pain was too much for her. Her face twisted in pain as the portal sucked the life out of her. She knew that she had made the right choice. She knew that she had saved the world. She tried to think of anything to get her mind off the severe pain, but it was too bad. Everything began to get dark as the pain increased. She could feel the energy sucking the life out of her. Her eyes closed slowly. Buffy's lifeless body fell to the ground._

Buffy eyes fluttered opened. She had remembered that time all too well, the time that she had died, for the second time. She remembered everything that had happened that night, every little detail.

            That's when she felt a sharp pain coming from her chest. It hurt a lot. She pushed the thought of the pain away as she glanced around the cemetery. She noticed that it was starting to get light out. She slowly rose to her feet, checking herself for injuries. There was a small gash on her chest, but it had pretty much healed, although it produced pain. 

            She glanced down and noticed dried blood stained all over the ground and all over her clothing. Her clothes were torn to shreds. That's when the thoughts of the fight came back to her.

_The two demons double-teamed her this time. Both sets of claws met their mark, Buffy's chest and stomach. Blood seeped through her torn clothing. Buffy winced in pain as she jumped back from another attack. The demon lunged at her, claws thrashing. Buffy dove underneath him. The demon landed face first in the dirt. Unfortunately, the second demon did not miss. Its claws sliced across Buffy's back, causing her to gasp in pain. These demons sure did not like to give shallow cuts. The first demon reached out and slashed at her legs, slicing them deep. She gasped in pain again._

"Buffy!" someone shouted.

            Her head turned to the direction that the voice had come from. She couldn't figure out where it was coming from at first, but then she saw who it was. Axel came running up to her, sweat dripping from his head.

            "Buffy, are you okay?" he asked, catching his breath, "You've been missing for two nights."

            "Two nights!"

            "I've been searching for you ever since the other night when you didn't come home. I was worried about you."

            "I'm okay."

            "What happened to your clothes and what's with all that blood?" he questioned.

            Buffy was cornered. What was she going to tell him? She had to tell him the truth now. There was no way to cover this up. The only thing to do was tell him who she really was.

            "Axel…" Buffy had begun to say something.

            Suddenly two demons jumped out of the bushes. They were the ones that Buffy had fought before. They hadn't gone away. They had just been watching her until she woke up. 

            "Hold that thought, Buffy," Axel told her, "I'll take care of this. Get out of here!"

            "But Axel…" Buffy started.

            "No!" he shouted, "Get out of here! I'll take care of this! Now go!"

            Buffy was saved, for now anyways. But she was still worried about Axel. She knew that he couldn't take these demons. She was the slayer and she couldn't even beat them. She couldn't leave him, even if it revealed her secret. She couldn't sacrifice a life to keep her secret hidden.

            Axel turned from Buffy and faced the demons. He was weaponless and these demons looked dangerous. The claws on the hands looked deadly. He had to stay though. It was his job to protect the people of this small town.

            The demons lunged at him, claws slashing. Buffy stared on in horror. They leapt into the air. Just as they were about to attack Axel, a dark figure leapt out of a tree and knocked both demons to the ground, saving Axel.

            Buffy couldn't see his face, but she knew who it was. Angel had stuck around for a little while longer. He must have known she'd be in danger. She watched on, as Angel fought the demons.

            They slashed and clawed at him, but somehow he only managed to get a few scratches. He dodged their attacks and dished out some of his own. Angel jumped into the air and brought his legs down on the one demon's head. The demon fell to the ground, lifeless. Angel pulled at a stake and swung his arm around. The stake hit its mark, the demon's head. 

            The second demon fell to the ground dead, just like the first. Their bodies melted away into the ground after a few moments. Angel slid the stake back into his duster. Buffy knew he didn't have much time before rays of sunlight reached him. He'd have to get out of their quickly.

            "Thanks," Axel said, not too enthusiastic.

            "No problem," Angel replied, wiping the sweat off his forehead, "Sorry I can't talk longer, I have to go."

            He turned and began walking away. But first he gave Buffy a wink. Axel took after him. He reached up and grabbed Angel's shoulder.

            "Where are you going? What are you afraid of the sun?" he questioned.

            Angel stopped and smiled. He turned to face Axel.

            "Would a vampire have saved your life?" Angel asked.

            "I guess not," Axel replied, happily.

            "I've gotta get to work," he told him. 

            He smiled to both Axel and Buffy. And with that Angel was gone. But as he promised, Buffy knew he'd return soon to help her in the final battle.

Willow and Kennedy's Apartment:

           Buffy knew that her friends must be worried about her. She knew they would be since she'd been gone for two days. That's why she headed over to Willow's to see what was going on. She opened the door and walked in. 

            It didn't surprise her that Giles and Andrew were there also. They were always there. She never questioned why, but she figured she already knew. They were probably still researching the Shanshu Prophecy.

            "Good morning, guys," Buffy said, walking into the apartment.

            "Hi Buffy," Willow said, "What have you been up to?"

            "Good morning, Buffy," Giles said.

            Buffy smiled at them all. That's when she realized Willow had just asked her a question. She wondered if she should make something up or if she should really tell the truth. Then she remembered what Angel told her.

            "I've just been enjoying the town and patrolling," she answered, "And last night I ran into these demons."

            "Demons?" Giles questioned, "Describe them."

            Buffy went on describing the demons. Giles pulled out a demon book and began flipping through the pages, trying to match up the description. Willow, Kennedy, and Andrew just listened. They were intrigued at the description.

"Did you kill them?" Kennedy asked, after Buffy finished.

"They're both dead," she replied, "Although it took a bit of work. But I'm okay."

"That's good to know," Willow replied.

"So what have you guys been up to?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing fun," Kennedy replied, obviously frustrated.

"We've been researching this town and its origins quite a lot," Giles informed, "It's not much different than Sunnydale. It is pretty much the same thing."

"Well that's almost interesting," she replied, "I've gotta get going. Sorry I can't stay that long. I'll see you guys around."

With that, Buffy was out the door. The others were all confused to why she had left so suddenly. Oh well, back to the research.

"I don't get it," Kennedy spoke up, "I'm going to end up being a slayer someday, so why don't I ever get to go out patrolling?"

"I don't see why you can't," Giles replied.

"Really?" she questioned.

"Of course," he said.

The Cemetery:

            Willow was so glad to be out of that apartment. It was like she hadn't left in a few days. As a matter of fact, she hadn't. They had been researching for almost three days. She could also see that Kennedy was excited to be out. She was happy that Kennedy had invited her to go patrolling with her. It was something she hadn't done with Buffy in a while.

            The two were walking along the moonlit path. They were holding hands and enjoying their first time alone in a long while. It was warm and beautiful out. They both enjoyed this temporarily new home.

            "I love you, Willow," Kennedy replied, facing her girlfriend.

            "I-I love you too, Kennedy," she answered.

            "Something wrong?" Kennedy questioned.

            "No its nothing," Willow replied.

            "Come on, you can tell me," Kennedy assured.

            "Well, it's just I haven't said 'I love you' to anyone since Tara. But you know something?"

            "What's that?"

            "It feels right and I know its right."

            Kennedy smiled at her girlfriend. She placed her hands on either side of Willow's face. She pulled Willow to her and embraced her with a passionate kiss. Willow kissed her back. 

            "I love you, Willow," someone said.

            Willow broke away from the kiss. Someone else had said that to her, not Kennedy. She was confused.

            "What's wrong?" Kennedy questioned.

            "Its nothing," Willow replied, "I'm hearing things. Sorry."

            Kennedy moved in again. The two began kissing passionately. Kennedy moved her hand down Willow's side. She let them sit on her hips for a moment. She was waiting to see if Willow noticed or even cared. When she didn't respond, Kennedy moved on. She began moving her hand down Willow's thigh until she reached the bottom of her skirt. 

            Kennedy stopped her movement again. She was waiting to see how Willow reacted. There was nothing once again. The two were now making out heavily. Kennedy moved her hand up under Willow's skirt very slowly until she reached her prize.

            Willow gasped as she felt Kennedy's fingers. It felt so good. She was becoming lost in the passion. Her hormones were taking over. Her hand moved to Kennedy's chest as she approached climax. Willow was overtaken by pleasure as Kennedy continued moving her fingers. 

            Kennedy removed her fingers as Willow came down off of her high. She was flustered and sweat was dripping from her forehead. She kissed Kennedy softly on the lips. It was a way of thanking her.

            "Willow!" someone shouted.

            The two lovers were startled. Someone had seen their little session. They were busted. Willow knew that Buffy would never let her live this down.

            "I've missed you," said the voice.

            Willow gasped as she saw who it was. It was the person she knew she would never ever see again. But here she was standing right in front of her.

            "T-Tara?" Willow stuttered, obviously surprised.

            Tara nodded her head in agreement. She looked angry at her former lover.

            "You're not Tara!" Willow shouted, "You're the First! Buffy already told us you were back."

            Tara nodded her head in disagreement. Willow and Kennedy looked at her confused. They wanted to know what was going on. Tara stepped closer to Willow. She reached out and placed an arm on her shoulder.

            "Tara? Baby?" Willow questioned.

            "Yes, it's me," Tara replied, smiling.

            "Oh my god, Tara!" Willow exclaimed, tears rolling down her face, "I've missed you so much. I'm sorry I let you die."

            Willow wrapped her arms around her former lover. She held her tightly. She had forgotten all about Kennedy. And Kennedy sure had noticed it. She was obviously hurt. Tears of sadness formed in her eyes and were dripping down her cheeks.

            Willow moved in and kissed Tara on the lips. Kennedy had seen enough. After all that they had been through and what she had just done for Willow, she instantly forgot about her. Kennedy turned and ran off into the darkness, tears falling behind on the ground.

Downtown Haynesville: 

            Kennedy continued running, the tears still falling. She couldn't believe what she has seen back there. It wasn't possible. There was no way that Willow's former lover, Tara, was back from the dead. It was impossible. 

            She was still crushed by the fact that Willow was back there making out with her. She was crushed by the fact that Willow had just completely forgotten about her. It hurt too much to think about it. 

            Just then she ran into someone on the streets. The man felt like a brick wall. She ran right into him. The impact sent her falling to the ground. 

            "I'm sorry," Kennedy said, realizing what she had done.

            "It's all right," the man replied, smiling, "Let me help you up."

            He lent her a hand and pulled her to her feet. She smiled at him through her hurt and pain. She rose to her feet and stared at this man.

            "Hi I'm Axel," he replied, "What's your name?"

            "I'm Kennedy," she answered, wiping away some tears.

            "What's wrong with you?" he questioned.

            "It's nothing," Kennedy lied.

            "Well, how about we go back to my place and you can tell me about it?" he asked.

            "Okay," she managed to say.

            Kennedy didn't register the fact that this guy's name was Axel and the guy that Buffy was staying with name was Axel. She'd find out soon enough though.

Axel's Place:

            Axel opened the door to his place. Kennedy followed in behind him. She had stopped crying, but the pain was still there. What she had seen still was still hurting her. Axel closed the door behind her and told her she could take a seat, so she did.

            "Hey Axel," Buffy said coming into the room.

            She stopped in her tracks when she saw who was sitting there in a chair. Her eyes were all puffy from crying. Buffy wondered why.

            "Kennedy?" Buffy questioned.

            Axel turned to face Buffy. He had a puzzled look on his face.

            "You know her?" he asked.

            "Yeah," she replied, hesitant at first.

            "From where?" he questioned.

            "She's one of the friends that I left behind in Sunnydale," Buffy replied, knowing she had to tell the truth.

            "That's amazing!" he exclaimed, "I can't believe they actually came here."

            "Yeah me neither," Buffy replied, not as enthusiastic.

            Kennedy had been sitting there quietly the whole time. Buffy began to wonder why she had been crying. She figured something bad had happened to her. Buffy waited until Axel went into the other room before she spoke.

            "What happened?" Buffy questioned.

            Kennedy looked up. Buffy could see the hurt in her eyes. She began to feel sorry for the potential slayer.

            "It's Willow," Kennedy muttered.

            "Willow?" Buffy questioned, "What happened to Willow?"

            "Tara's back," she muttered.

            A look of horror formed on Buffy's face. It hit her. Buffy knew it wasn't Tara. It was the goddess. Buffy threw open the door and disappeared into the night.


	13. Evil Revealed: Episode 13

Evil Revealed

Episode 13

The Cemetery:

            Willow stood in the darkness, in her lovers arms. She was ecstatic. Her lover had returned to her. She didn't know why, but she didn't care. She could finally be happy. The moonlight shone down on them, making their time all the more special.

            Willow brought her lips to Tara's. At first her lips brushed gently against the other woman's. But Tara wanted more. She shoved her lips against Willow's. The kiss became more passionate. 

            Willow broke off the kiss, catching her breath. Tara also caught hers. Willow wrapped her arms around Tara once again, embracing her in a gentle hug. Tara complied and did the same. Willow let go and stepped back from her lover. She gazed into her eyes.

            "I've missed you so much, baby," Willow told her.

            "I've missed you too," Tara replied, smiling.

            "I'm so sorry that I let that happen to you back then. It was my fault. I should have protected you."

            "Shh…baby. Don't worry about that now. It wasn't your fault. It was Warren's. But it's okay now. We are finally back together again."

            "And we'll stay that way forever."

            Tara moved in and kissed her lover full on the lips. It was a passionate one at that. The moonlight still glistened on them. They looked beautiful together.

Axel's Place:

            Kennedy was surprised at how fast Buffy moved. In an instance, she was gone. She wondered why Buffy had run off like that. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. Maybe it really wasn't Tara. Maybe Willow was in danger.

            She didn't do anything though. She didn't care. Willow had betrayed her. She had ditched her just like that. And it hadn't even occurred to Willow that she was there. It was like she had disappeared.

            She was still sitting in the chair when Axel returned. Again tears were dripping down the young girl's face. She was in such much emotional pain. She still couldn't believe what had happened.

            Axel walked silently back into the room. He watched the expression on the young girl's face. He could see it in her eyes that she was in a lot of pain. He could see the hurt in her eyes. 

            "So you want to tell me what's wrong, sweetie?" Axel asked, sitting down next to her.

            Kennedy sat there in silence for a few moments. She wondered if she should tell this stranger about what she had been through. It might be best to get it all out of her system.

            "Where would you like me to begin?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

            "From the beginning," he answered.

            "I was walking with my girlfriend a little while ago. It was so nice and peaceful. I was so happy," she began.

            "You're a lesbian?" Axel questioned.

            "Why, is there a problem?"

            "No. None at all. I was just wondering. Go on."

            "I told her that I loved her. It was the first time I had ever loved someone. And I knew I was in love with her. She told me that she felt the same way; that she loved me too."

Downtown Haynesville:

            Buffy was running. She had to save her friend. Who knew what kind of trouble her best friend might be in? She could already be dead by now. Buffy sure hoped not. She couldn't let that happen.

            She had remembered Kennedy's exact words, _"__Tara__'s back," she muttered_. It was those two words that chilled her to the bones. As soon as Kennedy had said those two words, she knew. She knew that it wasn't Tara. It was the Goddess of Evil.

            Buffy had no clue how she knew where exactly Willow was. It was very strange. There was just something in her head that told her that Willow was in the cemetery. She had to get there and fast.

Giles's Apartment:

            Giles hadn't gotten any sleep in at least three days. He and the others had been researching more on this town. They needed to learn more about it before they officially set up business to try and stop the evil that lived here.

            He had already been here at least a few months and hadn't come across anything evil. Well there was that ex-queen vampire that Buffy had slain a few weeks back. But that was about it. But he didn't want to worry about that now. He desperately needed sleep.

            He climbed into bed and closed his eyes. But a strange thought entered his head as sleep was upon him. He hadn't see or heard from the remaining potential slayers in a few months. It had been way too long. As a matter of fact, he had forgotten all about them until now. He began to worry.

            The thoughts filled his mind. It was all her was thinking about. It was his responsibility to look after them, keep them safe. He had taken on that responsibility when he told Quentin he would take them to Sunnydale, right before the Watcher's Council was attacked.

            _"You called?" Giles questioned._

_            "Yes," Quentin replied, "We have slayers-in-training here at the base. I want you to take the three of them with you to Sunnydale."_

_            "Of course," Giles replied._

_            "They are your responsibility, Rupert. Take care of them, keep them safe," Quentin told him._

_            "I promise that I will care for them," Giles replied._

_            "And you failed at that, didn't you?" Wood asked._

_            "What are you doing here?" Giles questioned, "How'd you get in my dreams?"_

_            "I'm here to torment you, Rupert. Even though I cannot hurt it, I can still hurt you and your friends," Wood continued.       _

_            "It?" Giles asked._

_            "You will find out soon enough," Wood replied, "You will face her eventually. And when you do, your world will come tumbling down."_

_            "What are you talking about?" Giles asked._

_            "You see there is something more terrifying than me out there, something that none of you can fight. You will all fail, you will all die."_

_            Giles didn't answer him. He stood there listening to the former principal. Well actually it was the First speaking, not the principal._

_            "What did you do to Robin?" Giles questioned, ignoring everything that he was told._

_            "Oh he had such a quick death," Wood informed, "You see, Buffy left him to die on that bus. My minions killed him."_

_            Giles took all of this in. He couldn't blame Buffy though. She had no way of knowing. She was only doing what was right to protect the group._

_            "Remember Rupert," Wood said, "She is coming for all of you."_

            Giles eyes shot open and he say up in bed. Was this one of those slayer-like dreams that Buffy sometimes received. Giles climbed out of bed and headed into the kitchen. Her poured himself a cup of tea and then sat down. He began to think about what Robin Wood told him.

            It all started out as just an ordinary dream, one of him remembering a promise he had made. Then the First appeared in the form of Robin Wood. But that had to mean Robin was dead. The First only appeared as someone who had died. As a matter of fact, no one had seen him since that day on the bus a few months back. He must have been killed.

            Then Giles' thoughts turned towards what the First had said to him. The First had told him about something that could hurt them. It told him that they would face it soon and that once they did, their world would be destroyed. Giles began paging through several books. He was looking for a prophecy dealing with the something destroying the world.

The Cemetery:

            Buffy dashed through the gates of the Haynesville cemetery. She was going after Willow. She just hoped she would get to her in time before something horrible happened to her. She couldn't let Willow get hurt. She had felt so bad after Xander had been hurt and she didn't want to have to go through that again. 

            She ran along the moonlit path, not slowing down for anything. Her mind began drifting towards bad things, about Willow getting hurt or even worse, killed. She had no idea where in this place Willow would be. This was a fairly large cemetery for such a small town. 

            "What's the hurry?" someone asked.

            Buffy didn't have time to deal with this. But she knew she had to. She came to a stop and turned to the direction of the voice. She was glad to see who the person was.

            "Robin, you've been missing for a few months," she said, "Where have you been?"

            "Hmm…it hasn't even seemed like that long," he replied, "Why are you running?"

            "I've gotta find Willow," Buffy told him, "She's in big trouble."

            "I wouldn't worry about the safety of your friend," he informed, "She's safe. It has no business with her yet. I am what she is after and then you're next."

            "Her? What?" Buffy questioned, totally confused, "What are you talking about?"

            "Oh come on," he replied, "You don't actually think I've been hiding these past few weeks, do you?"

            "You've lost me," Buffy said.

            "He's dead," he told her, "My Bringers got him the night after you left him on that bus."

            "The First?" 

            "That's right, sweetie."

            "What do you want with me?"

            "Nothing, I'm not your biggest problem anymore. You know of this already. You have met her."

            "What do you know about her?" 

            "Well I know that she will beat you and destroy the world. She hates this place. This world is too beautiful for her. She wants it gone. And you are the only thing standing in her way."

            "You know, as soon as I beat this goddess thing, I'm coming after you."

            "Doubt it. I'm leaving soon. I don't want to get involved in this war. I can't get destroyed by this thing. That's why it is too risky for me. Say goodbye to your world, slayer. Things are going to get a whole lot bumpier from now on."

            And with that, the First Evil was gone. Buffy was glad to finally have it gone. It was really starting to annoy her. Now she could focus her attention on this evil goddess thing. That's when she remembered Willow. She started running down the paved pathways once again.

            After a few minutes of running, she spotted Willow in the distance. She had another woman in her arms. It was Tara, or what Willow thought was Tara. Buffy knew what this Tara look-a-like was. That's when it hit her. How was she going to break it to Willow? Angel had told her to keep it a secret. She was going to have to tell Willow the truth.

            "Willow!" Buffy called.

            Willow broke off her kiss with Tara. She glanced in the direction of the voice and saw who it was. She smiled and her face turned red. She removed her arms from around Tara, who also did the same.

            "Hey, Buffy," Willow said, her face still red.

            "H-hi B-Buffy," Tara muttered.

            "Get away from her!" Buffy yelled, as she neared the two.

            "Buffy, is there something wrong?" Willow questioned.

            "I said get away from her!" Buffy shouted again.

            "W-why?" Tara asked, obviously knowing who Buffy was shouting at.

            Buffy couldn't do anything. She wasn't going to attack the goddess. She couldn't go out this early and she knew that she would by messing with a goddess. 

            "Leave my friends out of this!" Buffy yelled.

            "But its all the more fun," Tara replied, her voice changing drastically.

            Suddenly Tara's form began to alter. Left in Tara's place was a woman with black hair and completely black eyes. Willow stepped back. She was horrified. She couldn't believe that this woman had been Tara just moments again and that she had been kissing her.

            "What's wrong little witch?" the woman questioned, "You didn't seem this scared a few moments ago when your tongue was down my throat."

            Willow didn't reply. She was too horrified and ashamed of herself. She couldn't believe what had just happened, what she had just done.

            "And you slayer," the goddess began, "Why come face me again? You were defeated by the demons last time."

            "I wasn't expecting it," Buffy replied, "I wasn't expecting to run into a hideous goddess like yourself."

            "What did you just say?" she questioned.

            "You heard me!" Buffy shouted, "You hideous demon!"

            "Arise!" the goddess shouted.

            Thousands of rotting hands shot up out of the ground. They were reaching for Buffy and Willow. The goddess just laughed. 

            "So you think you can beat me, do you?" she asked, "We'll see how you fare against these thousands of zombies. You didn't do so well last time, so we'll see if this'll be a repeat."

            With that, the Goddess of Evil was gone. The zombies were still trying to free themselves. They were not having an easy time doing so, but Buffy knew it was only a matter of time until they broke out of their graves.

            "Buffy, this is all my fault," Willow cried, tears dripping down her face.

            "This is not the time to board the guilt train, Will," Buffy said, "We've gotta get out of here before these things completely free themselves." 

            Buffy grabbed Willow's arm and began to run. The two were dashing madly through the cemetery, trying to escape. By now, the zombies were all almost completely free from their graves. Buffy could see the exit now. They were so close.

            Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed Buffy by the ankle. Both she and Willow tumbled to the ground. Willow quickly rose to her feet and continued running. She reached the gate and ran through. She slammed it shut and turned to run down the street. That's when she realized that Buffy was not with her. She peered back through the gates and saw her.

            Buffy lay on the ground. Several zombie hands held her in place. She was fighting them though. She just couldn't break free. The rotting hands began pulling her closer to the ground. It was just like she was chained to the ground. Three zombies came staggering towards her out of the darkness.

            "Buffy, watch out!" Willow screamed in horror.

            She had remembered what zombies did. They liked to eat brains. And that's just what these three zombies wanted to do. Buffy looked up and saw them staggering towards her. She began struggling even more. 

            "Willow! Help!" Buffy shouted, trying to break free.

            Willow was still unsure with the magiks. She had really only done one spell, the one that made all the potential slayers into slayers.  Anything could still happen though. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to risk turning evil again. But Buffy was about to be killed and it was all in her hands. 

            Willow closed her eyes. She couldn't save her friend. She couldn't watch her friend die. She heard Buffy trying to fight off the zombies and then she heard something hissing and smelled burning.

            Buffy pulled off the burning zombie hands and rose to her feet. She was free, thanks for Willow. She tossed the burning hand at another zombie, setting it on fire. The burning zombies fell to the ground, hissing in agony.

            Buffy headed for the gate once again. She pushed it open and exited. She found Willow standing there, covering her eyes. She reached up and wrapped her arms around her friend, embracing her in a hug. Startled, Willow opened her eyes.

            "I'm so sorry, Buffy," Willow said, apologetic, "I wanted to use my magik but I was afraid that I would go all evil again. I'm sorry."

            "No Willow, you did fine," Buffy replied, "You saved me. And you didn't go evil."

            "What do you mean?" Willow asked.

            "You did use magik," Buffy answer, "Although you didn't realize it. Thank you."

            "Buffy, what was that thing?" Willow asked.

            "It's our worst nightmare," Buffy replied, silently.

Giles' Apartment:

            It had taken the two girls several minutes to get to Giles. Buffy realized that since she had told Willow, it was only right to tell Giles. She felt bad though. She didn't want to get them involved in this yet. She didn't want them worrying about something else now.

            Willow knocked on the door. They heard some noise coming from inside. Then the door opened. Giles stood there. He looked like he'd been up for a while. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was rumpled.

            "Buffy, I have some urgent news to tell you," Giles informed, "It isn't anything good though."

            The two followed Giles back into his apartment. Buffy casually glanced around. Giles went to a table piled high with books.

            "That's a big surprise," she replied, sarcastically, "You know since I'm always the one to receive good news all the time."

            "Buffy has something important to tell you too, Giles," Willow told him, sitting down on his couch.

            "Why don't you go first?" Giles asked Buffy.

            "All right," she began, "There's something that has been messing with us for a while now, since we've arrived here in this nice town of Haynesville."

            "Messing with us, how?" Giles questioned.

            "It had me believing it was Spike," she replied.

            "You mean that wasn't Spike?" Giles asked.

            "Afraid not," she said, "And it had Willow believing that Tara was back."

            Willow froze when Buffy mentioned that. Buffy had noticed so she quickly changed the subject.

            "This thing is similar to the First," Buffy continued, "It can take the form of something, but it is corporeal."

            "Buffy, what is this thing?" Giles asked, "You've been avoiding it."

            "I'm afraid to say this Giles, but it's a…god," Buffy finally blurted out.

            "A god?" Giles questioned, "Like Glory?"

            "Nothing like Glory," Buffy replied, "She was one of the first gods ever. She is the Goddess of Evil."

            "Then what I've been reading is most definitely true," Giles informed, heading over to his books.

            Buffy and Willow both looked up. He reached the table and picked up a book. He began reading from it.

            "The one of pure evil, the very creator of evil, will be awoken from her eternal slumber," he began, "She will swallow up everything. The mouths of hell will burst open, releasing every demon and creature into the world."

            "Well that's interesting," Buffy replied, "We've got another apocalypse heading our way. That's just peachy."


	14. Reliving the Past: Episode 14

Reliving the Past

Episode 14

Xander's Apartment:

            "Come on, Xander!" Andrew exclaimed, heading towards the door.

            Xander didn't answer. He was too busy thinking. He hadn't been the same since the final battle with the First. He didn't really care anymore. He was through with this kind of stuff. He had fought alongside Buffy for several years and he'd been through so much. He'd even been to a void dimension, trapped for what seemed like eternity.

            And now he'd lost almost everything. There was nothing left for him. He had lost an eye in the battles. He walked around with a patch covering it. But that wasn't really what had been bothering him. He had lost the one person that had meant the world to him. The one person he'd loved the most, Anya.

            She had been killed in the final battle. The thing that made it even worse was the fact that he had seen her die. It was like a knife to his heart when he witnessed it. He was crushed. He still hadn't gotten over it and he had been distant from everyone. He had no clue what everyone else was doing and he didn't care.

            "I can see that you're not coming," Andrew said to him, "So I guess I'll just go on out by myself. I'll be back later."

            And with that, Andrew was out the door. Xander sat on the couch, cold and depressed. Even Andrew was enjoying himself here. Xander just couldn't bring himself to do anything, not without Anya. He'd rather be dead now. He couldn't go on any longer.

Unknown Location:

            Unlike Xander, Jake was the exact opposite. He was so happy. He had finally found someone who wasn't different, well not entirely different. She wasn't as different as the others that he had liked or dated.  He and Julia had fallen in love a while back and now were going steady. 

            Dani was a good girlfriend, but he lost her after she was turned into a vampire. She was a slayer at first, but soon afterwards, she became the vampire queen. Even when she was a vampire, she had still loved him. She was gone now, probably to hell. He remembered when she was first turned into a vampire. It was the moment that changed his life forever.

_Dani__, Sarah, and Jake were walking along through the cemetery. Dani had been the slayer for a few months now. Giles had worked hard to convince her of what she was and then to train her. He had also been kind enough to train Sarah and Jake so that they could help their friend fight against the vampires._

_            Their minds were set on returning home to __Erie__, __Pennsylvania__. They were set to leave in a few weeks. The three of them were so excited that they'd finally get to return home to their other friends and family. They had been gone for months now. Although Dani's parents were killed, she still had other family that she had to return to._

_            Patrol had been uneventful so far this evening. They hadn't come across any vampires or demons. It was strange actually. Jake was a little worried. There was always something around, but not tonight. Giles had informed him that when there was little or no demonic activity, it meant that something big was to come. _

_            They were coming upon a crypt. It was one of the few in this cemetery. Supposedly, a famous vampire used to live there. Jake had also heard about this from Giles. The famous William the Bloody, AKA Spike, lived in that very crypt. He was the second most deadly vampire in all of __Europe__ during the 19th century. _

_            Just as they were almost past the crypt, the door opened. Jake was horrified to see who it was. It was indeed William the Bloody. Dani sensed the vampire and turned to face him. They two engaged in a fight. Dani dished out several punches, knocking the vampire off balance. Then she followed them up with a roundhouse kick. The vampire flew into the crypt._

_            "Gave me quite a beating there, slayer," Spike said, rising to his feet._

_            He charged Dani, taking her by surprise. He tackled her to the ground and began pummeling her with his fists. She managed to block a few hits but was very unsuccessful at blocking most of them. Sarah and Jake stood by, watching. This was Dani's fight and they knew she wouldn't let them help out. They couldn't watch their friend get beat, but they couldn't help her. _

_            Sarah had seen enough. She ran at Spike, stake in hand. Spike knew she was coming and swiped at her with his arm. She flew through the air and landed on her back in the dirt. Jake rushed over to see if she was okay._

_            "Stupid git," Spike murmured and continued the fight._

_            Finally, Dani managed to flip Spike off of her. He landed on his back, but quickly rose to his feet. She gave him a front kick to his face. He wiped the blood from his lip and then knocked her across the face. She was knocked off balance. He moved in quickly and grabbed her. _

_            "I have bigger plans for you, sweetheart," Spike said and bit into her neck._

_            Sarah and Jake watched helplessly as the vampire drained their friend. They could do nothing to help her. She was a good as dead now. Tears were now dripping from both their eyes._

_            After he had sucked her blood for a short time, he slit his wrist and held it to Dani's mouth. She slowly began sucking his blood. _

_            "I can't believe I actually killed my first slayer!" Spike exclaimed, holding his wrist to her mouth, "Dru said it would be hard, but it was really easy!"_

_            After he gave her enough blood, he flung the weakened girl over his shoulder and with that he disappeared into the night._

Jake remembered that day as if it was yesterday. That was one of the worst days of his life. He had lost his first love that night. He remembered that after Dani was taken, he and Sarah rushed back to Giles and told him what had happened. Giles seemed intrigued about what he had told him about what Spike had said after killing Dani. 

Xander's Apartment:

            Xander hated his life. He wished he could just get up and leave this place. He wished he could just start over, move somewhere new, get new friends, and a new job. But he knew that he couldn't do that. He would never run away. He would never leave his friends, no matter what happened. He had never done it in the past and he didn't plan on doing it now. He remembered the last time he had stayed.

_Buffy had been gone for a few weeks now. She and Faith had gone off on a 'secret mission', but neither had returned. What was even worse was the fact that Angel had gone missing too. Xander had never really been fond of dead boy, but he was worried that both Buffy and he and gone missing._

_            A few days later, Giles had told them that a new slayer was in town. He had to go find and train her to take Buffy's place. That was it. He walked out on Dawn. Xander had no other choice but to take the young girl under his wing. There was one good thing out of it all. He got back together with his ex, Anya._

_            Anya and Xander took full ownership of Buffy's house and all the things inside. They went about their daily lives. Xander and Anya went to work, while Dawn went to school. It was pretty much the same everyday. That's when everything took a turn for the worse. The demonic activity greatly increased, actually not demons, vampires. They seemed to be everywhere at night. It was like there was no slayer in town anymore_

_            "Lock the doors!" Xander shouted._

_            He bolted the front door shut. Anya dashed towards the backdoor. She locked it tight. Xander came in and bolted it shut. Then they moved to the windows, covering them all up. Dawn came running downstairs._

_            "What's wrong?" she questioned._

_            "The vampires, they're everywhere!" Anya exclaimed, obviously frightened._

_            Xander finished bolting the windows and then came up alongside the two women. He was the man of the house. It was his duty to protect the two of them. He had to keep them safe now._

_            "What do you think happened, Xander?" Dawn questioned, scared now._

_            "I'm not sure," he began, "But it seems to me like there isn't a slayer anymore."_

_            "But that's crazy!" Anya shouted, "Giles went off with her."_

_            "They wouldn't have left Sunnydale, would they?" Dawn asked._

_            "I don't think so, Dawny," Xander replied, "But I'm starting to doubt that there's a slayer in Sunnydale anymore."_

_            Months passed before Xander realized that what he had said was true. The slayer had been killed. The vampires and demons ruled the town of __Sunnydale__. Most of the citizens fled, but few stayed behind. Xander, Anya, and Dawn were some of them. Xander was not about to leave his hometown. He would stay here until he died. _

_            No one left the house. They couldn't without being attacked. Rumor around town was that a vampire had united the vampires, the first since the master, and became their queen. Xander feared that Buffy may be that queen. He had one last talk with Giles soon after the vampires had taken over._

_            Xander sat in the living room. It was getting to be late and he was very bored. He was just about to go to bed, when there was a knock at the door. He cautiously walked over to it and pulled it open. To his surprise, there stood Giles._

_            "Giles?" he questioned._

_            "Hello Xander," Giles said, "It's good to see you again."_

_            "What are you doing here?" Xander asked._

_            "Why don't you let me in and I'll tell you about everything that's happened?" Giles asked._

_            "Come on, how dumb do you think I am?" Xander questioned, "For all I know, you could be a vampire.  
            "I'm not," Giles replied, understanding why he believed that, "I wouldn't hold a cross in my hands if I was."_

_            Giles pulled a large cross out of his pocket. He gripped it in his hands. That's when they both heard a large crash. The both turned in the direction. Down at the street, there stood seven fairly large vampires._

_            "Will you let me in now?" Giles questioned, obviously terrified._

_            Xander pulled the door open all the way. Giles slipped in just as Xander slammed the door behind him. He bolted it shut and then followed Giles into the living room._

_            "So what's going on in this place?" Xander questioned._

_            "The slayer was killed," Giles replied, solemnly._

_            "Figures," Xander murmured, "No one's ever gonna be as good as Buffy was."_

_            "She was turned by what the Council believes was Spike," Giles continued, "She's united all the vampires in Sunnydale. They have taken over the town and she is their queen. I suggest you take Dawn and Anya and get out of here as quickly as possible."_

_            "No way, Giles!" Xander exclaimed, "We're sticking through this. I've never left Sunnydale because of an apocalypse before, so why start now."_

_            "You're making a big mistake, Xander," Giles replied._

_            "I don't think so," he told the man._

            Xander had known that it had been a big mistake staying. But he couldn't abandon his hometown because it had been overtaken by creatures of the night. Willow and Buffy would have stayed if they were in his position. 

Axel's Place:

            Buffy lay in bed. Everything had been so hectic lately with the whole goddess thing coming to town. She had been researching constantly with Giles and Willow. The three had decided that it was best to leave the others out of all this for now. They'd find out soon enough.

            Her mind kept drifting back to that time when she was captured. She remembered that day very well. It was a nightmare to her. She still couldn't believe that she had let herself get captured. She had lived through it though.

            _Buffy opened her eyes. It was still dark out. She wondered where she was and what had happened to her. That's when she realized that her arms and legs were bound by chains. She glanced around and noticed that she was being held by two vampires._

_            She began to struggle against the chains. They were pretty tight. Her captures obviously knew what they were doing. That's when a sack was placed over her head. She couldn't do anything now. She didn't even know where she was going._

_            Several minutes later, the sack was removed from her head. She glanced around. She was now inside some building. That's when she noticed that she was in front of a cell. She noticed a vampire pull out a tranquilizer and hold it high. She gasped as he hit her with her. Her vision became black and she fell asleep._

_            The vampires unlocked the chains around her arms and legs. They let them drop to the ground and then they opened the cell. The tossed the slayer inside and she landed on the floor, still out cold. One vampire slid the door closed and bolted it shut. _

_            A few hours later, Buffy awoke. She looked around at her surroundings. She was in a jail cell of some sort. She rose to her feet and noticed that she was no longer bound by chains. She walked towards the door and tried to bend the bars or pull the door off, but she was unsuccessful._

_            There was nothing really in the cell. They had left her a bed, sink, and a toilet. All three were bolted to the ground. That's when Buffy realized it. They were going to keep her captive so that another slayer wouldn't be called. And they had made everything in the cell so that she couldn't use them to kill herself. She was in big trouble._

_            Buffy sat, alone, in her cell for several weeks. She hadn't the slightest clue of what was going on in the outside world. All she knew was what happened in her cell. She had been training herself, day in and day out. She needed to be stronger in order to get out of there. She also watched the actions of her captures as they brought her food. _

_They were very cautious when they came to her cell. They always came in groups of five. They must have figured that they could handle her if she escaped. They would slowly open the cell and slide a plate of food inside. They quickly shut the door afterwards._

_Finally the two that had captured her had come for a visit. Drusilla and Spike stood in front of her cell, smirking._

_"So slayer, do you like your cell. It's lined very pretty, isn't it?" Dru asked._

_Buffy didn't respond. She just stared at Spike. There was something about him that didn't seem right._

_"This is the way you will live for the rest of your life," Drusilla told her, "Alone and helpless."_

_"How could you do this to me, Spike?" Buffy questioned, finally speaking, "I trusted you and you betrayed me. I trusted you with Dawn and this is how you repay me. You come back from your journey and return with this slut! You traitorous bastard!"_

_"Well what can I say, luv, I'm evil," he replied._

_He and Dru disappeared into the shadows of the hallways. Buffy could still here them speaking though._

_"Maybe the queen should come and visit the girl," Spike said, "Let her tame the beast."_

That was the last that Buffy had seen or heard of either of them. The building, which she discovered to be the queen's palace, was invaded by Council operatives. Spike and Drusilla had been dusted. But she found out later that it wasn't really Spike. She knew there was something wrong with the one that had visited her with Drusilla.

She really missed Spike. She really did love him, but she had confessed her love to the goddess, who was impersonating the vampire. She was still furious with herself for not realizing that it wasn't the real Spike. The real Spike was in Los Angeles with Angel. Unfortunately, he was a ghost. Buffy didn't know if she would ever see him again.

Xander's Apartment:

            Xander lay in bed, just as Buffy had been. He was thinking about everything that had happened to him since Buffy had arrived in Sunnydale several long years ago. He had fought alongside her in several apocalypses. He remembered them all so well.

            He had resurrected her after she had been bitten by the Master and drown, by using CPR. He had followed her to Angel's mansion after getting out of the hospital. He had led Giles safely from it. He had helped her and the rest of the students of Sunnydale High in fighting the Mayor, who had become a giant snake demon. He had lent Buffy his strength along with Willow's and Giles's so that she could fight Adam. 

He had helped Buffy in her fight against Glory, but had watched her die. He had helped Buffy with Willow after she went all evil, but he had watched her be sent to some dimension. He had helped Buffy fight off Malvagio, the evil sorcerer sent by the First. And finally, he had helped her in the fight for it all, against the First Evil. But he had lost so much in that final battle. He didn't think he could do it again.

His mind started wandering back to when he was sent to another dimension. He didn't remember what had happened to him there, though. It was like his memory of that had been stripped away.

_Xander__, Anya, and Dawn were fast asleep in their home. Everything had been quiet lately. Normally, they would have heard vampires roaming around outside, but lately they hadn't. It was very strange. _

_Xander__ heard a loud scream pierce the night. He quickly flew through his bed and towards Dawn's room. He knew that something was happening to Dawn. He shoved the door open and stared in horror. There stood Glory, the hell god, at the foot of Dawn's bed._

_            "I've got a score to settle with the slayer," Glory said, "Where is she?"_

_            "She's gone," Xander replied, "She hasn't been here for a long while."_

_            "Good," Glory replied, "Then there's no one to stop me this time."_

_            Suddenly, they weren't in the house anymore. Xander was standing in a construction site. Dawn was lying on the ground in front of him and Anya was on the ground behind. Anya was asleep still._

_            "Wake up, Anya!" Xander shouted._

_            Anya opened eyes and looked around. She wasn't in her bed anymore._

_            "What the hell?" she questioned, "Where are we? What happened to the bed?"_

_            She slowly stood up, as did Dawn. They both joined Xander. Glory appeared from out of a building. That's when several demons surrounded them._

_            "It's time for the ritual. It begins in a few days,  right before sunset," Glory informed, "And this time, there's no one to save the precious key."_

_            Xander knew better than to fight the hell god. He had no chance and he knew that. So he stayed where he was. The demons came at them. They grabbed Xander and the two women. Dawn was taken off to towards the tower. Xander and Anya were sent inside a warehouse._

_            The couple stood there, obviously scared. A few moments later, Glory entered. She smirked at them. Xander tried to be brave. He knew that this was the end of them. Dawn was going to be bleed and Glory would be returned to her own dimension. He and Anya would be killed first, though._

_            "Lucky for you, I don't have time to kill the two of you," she began, "So I'll hafta settle for something close."_

_            The god began chanting in some unknown language. The chanting began to pick up. The air around them began to glow. Xander began to fill very funny. Darkness began to form in his eyes. That's when he and Anya disappeared._

            The next thing that he remembered was awaking in some unknown house. Buffy, Giles, and Willow had been there, along with three other people he didn't know. He came to know two of them, Cindy and Jake, though. He had never really asked anyone about Buffy and Willow. He had no idea what ever happened to Buffy and how Willow had returned. 

All he knew was that Buffy had not been killed that night. He knew nothing about how Willow had returned from the dimension that she had been sent to. It didn't matter to him, though, because they were all back together again. 

Xander lasts thoughts drifted to Anya. He remembered when he had first met her. They had gone to the prom together. He had remembered when she had stuck by him when he was living in his parent's basement. He remembered asking her to marry him in the Magic Box basement. He remembered leaving her at the altar. And finally, he remembered her sticking by him after his eye had been damaged. 

And with that, the loyal boy was finally asleep. His dreams were filled with all his friends and all the good times that they had had together.


	15. Gathering: Episode 15

Gathering

Episode 15

Los Angeles, California:

            Angel sat in his office. He'd been bored lately. It seemed like all the demonic activity had just disappeared. It had been very slow lately. There had been no business and no daily outings to protect the innocent. He wondered what was going on.

            "Where's all the bloody vampires, mate?" Spike said, entering his office.

            "Don't you knock, Spike?" Angel questioned, obviously annoyed.

            "Did you forget? I can't, remember?" he replied.

            There was a long silence between the two. It was an awkward silence. Angel didn't know what to do with the vampire ghost. Of course Spike was always annoying, but it was actually nice having another vampire, especially one with a soul, around.

            "Something's going on, Angel," Spike said, breaking the silence.

            "What?" Angel questioned, "How can you tell?"

            "I can feel it mate," Spike relied, "Something big is coming, something dangerous."

            Just then, Gunn came walking into the room. He was dressed in his usual suit and was carrying a bunch of papers.

            "What's up, Gunn?" Angel asked.

            "Well, I have some surprising news," Gunn replied.

            "What about?" Spike asked.

            "The sudden dramatic decrease in demon clients and all other demonic activity in this town," Gunn answered.

            "Just spill it already!" Spike exclaimed, becoming annoyed.

            "Well, they all seem to be headed towards the Hellmouth," Gunn informed.

            "The Hellmouth?" Spike questioned, "But that was destroyed months ago."

            "You aren't very smart when it comes to this stuff, are you Spike?" Angel asked.

            "Shut your bloody mouth!" Spike exclaimed.

            "There's another Hellmouth," Gunn said, interrupting before an argument broke out between the two vampires, "And I'm guessing you already know about this, Angel."

            Angel was silent. But Gunn knew the answer to his question. He knew that Angel had gone off a few weeks back. He was hiding something from everyone.

            "I believe it is below a small southern Louisiana town," Gunn continued, "Haynesville, if I'm not mistaken."

            "Yes," Angel replied, silently.

            "Well, our researchers have discovered that this Hellmouth is considerably growing in power. It is calling out to all creatures of darkness. They are all headed towards the Hellmouth," Gunn said.

            "There's something you're not telling us, Angel," Spike said.

            "He's right, there is something," Gunn added.

            Angel stood there silently. He knew that he couldn't keep it from them anymore. He had to tell them what was going on. It was for their safety.

            "Something powerful is there," Angel began, "Stronger than anything we have ever faced, stronger than the First Evil."

            "What could be more powerful than the First Evil?" Spike asked.

            "She's a god," Angel replied, "To be more specific, the Goddess of Evil."

            "But who's going to fight it?" Gunn questioned.

            "We're leaving," Angel informed, "Gunn, gather the gang up. We're taking a little trip. We leave for the Hellmouth in a few hours."

            "What are we gonna do?" Gunn questioned, "We can't fight a god."

            "We're going to help Buffy," Angel replied.

            "Buffy's alive," Spike said, shocked.

Haynesville Cemetery:

            Buffy was walking alone. She was thinking about everything that had happened. So much had happened lately. Just a few weeks ago, she discovered that some evil goddess had been freed and was now after her. The weight of the world was once again on her shoulders. But this time she knew that she was powerless to stop it.

            She knew that she shouldn't have been out alone. So many things had come to town lately. Even though she was the slayer, she still couldn't handle everything. Giles had told her not to go out by herself; that she needed to have someone go along with her.

            Giles was right though. She couldn't handle everything by herself. And it seemed like the monsters kept getting stronger each day. And there were so many of them. Demons, vampires, ghosts, you name it. 

            She knew all this, but she had to get out. With Axel back, it seemed like she had no freedom. He was always questioning where she was going. That was the price to pay for not revealing her secret. She had thought about it many times, but she couldn't tell him. Not yet anyway.

            "Now look what we've got here," a vampire said.

            Buffy looked up and saw them. They were a group of five standing in front of her, blocking her path. She didn't even notice them. It bothered her. Maybe she was losing her touch.

            "A little girly," the vampire continued, "out here all alone without anyone to hear her scream. 

            The vampires advanced on her. In a few moments, they had her completely surrounded. But she kept her cool. She knew that she could take them. She had taken on more than five before.

            One vampire lunged at her. With lightning-fast reflexes, she pulled out a stake and jammed it into his heart. Then she flung him over her shoulder. He was dust before he hit the ground.

            "Was that the best you've got?" Buffy questioned, now in fighting stance.

            The vampires snarled. Another came at her, trying for the kill. She gave him a quick front kick to the chest, knocking him into one of the others. Both fell to the ground, obviously pissed off now.

            "Little girl?" Buffy questioned, "I don't think so."

            She gave another vamp a kick to the face. The vampire stumbled backwards, but quickly came to her senses. She lunged at Buffy, fangs bared. Buffy gave the vampire a few punches to the face and then sent her to the ground with a roundhouse kick. The vamps neck snapped. 

            By now, the two she had knocked over had risen to their feet. One jumped at her, trying to knock her off balance, the other two waiting for an opportunity to attack. The vampire tackled her to the ground. No sooner than that, the other two were on her. 

            She gripped her stake tightly, and slashed it blindly. The stake tore at one vampire's chest, slicing it open. Then it cut another across the face. Both vampires hissed in pain. She flung her arms madly, trying to shake them off. The two that she had injured flew through the air, one hit a tombstone. 

            The last vampire was still trying to wrestle her to the ground. She straddled Buffy and began punching her in the face. Lucky for Buffy, the other two vampires were out for now. The female vampire was tiring either, but Buffy was. She was too tired to block the vampire's punches and kept getting hit in the face. 

            Finally, Buffy just gave up. The vampire realized this and stopped punching her. She reached down and moved Buffy's hair away from her neck. She moved her mouth closer to Buffy.

            "They say that once you've tasted slayer's blood, you'll never go back," the female vampire hissed.

            She brought her fangs down. Just as her teeth were about to puncture Buffy's neck, she howled in pain. Then she exploded into dust. Buffy smirked and her hand dropped to her side. That worked every time. She quickly caught her breath and rose to her feet.

            She staked the one vampire and headed towards the second. She grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. The vampire didn't struggle.

            "What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.

            The vampire didn't offer resistance. He knew that he would die if he didn't give information. What he didn't know was that Buffy was going to stake him anyway.

            "It's the gathering," the vampire hissed, "A great evil has surfaced. We can feel its power. It is calling to us, all things evil, to come to the Hellmouth."

            "All?" Buffy questioned.

            "It is calling to all demons from around the world, telling them to come here. The evil is growing slayer. The Gathering has begun."

            "It's called the Gathering," Buffy mumbled.

            She had gotten all the information that she needed. She gripped her stake tightly. Then she slammed it into the vampire's heart. Its dust blew away in the cool nighttime breeze. 

            Buffy turned and headed towards the exit. She had to inform Giles of what she had learned. She knew it was going to be a very long night of researching. She really wasn't looking forward to that. 

Giles's Apartment:

            Buffy pushed the door open, without even bothering to knock. She knew that this couldn't wait. Although it was late, she knew that Giles wouldn't be in bed yet. He was probably up reading about this goddess.

            "Buffy?" Giles questioned, looking up from a book.

            The man was seated at a table. There was a fairly large book open in front of him. He looked tired. He probably hadn't slept in several days. 

            "What's wrong?" he asked.

            "I was patrolling," Buffy began.

            "You were what?" Giles questioned, angrily. 

            "Look, I know you said to stay in," she replied, "But I needed to get out. I needed to slay something. Sorry."

            Giles didn't reply. He had a look of anger in his eyes. If she wanted him to remain her watcher, she was going to have to listen to him.

            "But that's beside the point," she continued, "I found something out from a vampire. It has to do with all the things showing up here in town. It's called the Gathering. Something about the Goddess of Evil is calling to all things around the world. I just thought you might like to know. You know it might be useful and all."

            "Did you say the Gathering?" Giles asked.

            "Yeah," Buffy replied.

            Giles flipped back a few pages in his book. He looked down and began reading something. Buffy stood there, staring at him while he read.

            "This is more serious than I thought," he told her, looking up.

            "Yeah, I kind of realized that," she replied.

            "Buffy, there is a prophecy here," he went on, "Dealing with this goddess. Some of it has not been deciphered."

            "Well, what does it say?" Buffy asked.

            "A great entity will be woken up from eternal slumber. The world will tremble at the power. The planet's energy will blacken, creating eternal darkness. The demons of the world will come from all over to join the great entity. The entity will battle a first and it will win. Finally, the entity will fight the Chosen One. She will lose against its awesome power. Only one can defeat it."

            "And who is that?"

            "It doesn't say, Buffy. That's all that's been translated. And I'm not sure of the rest."

            "So I will lose to this thing and this other person will defeat it?"

            "Not necessarily. It said only one _can _defeat it, not will."

            "Well whatever. Isn't there ever going to be a prophecy where it says 'Buffy will kick butt and the world will be a peaceful place'? When is one of those prophecies gonna come along? I can't wait for one of those."

            "Sorry to disappoint you."

            "I know. But it's cool. It's my job and all, protect the world or die trying. There's only one thing that bothers me though."

            "What's that, Buffy?"

            "If I die in this fight, the next slayer that's called will have no clue what their up against."

            "I know."

            "Let's not worry about that now. We need to figure out who the one that will beat the Goddess is."

Downtown Haynesville:

            Willow wandered the streets alone. She had been alone since that horrible night. She'd blown it with Kennedy. There was no hope left for her in the love department anymore. She knew that she could never find anyone to replace either Kennedy or Tara. She had something special with Tara, something that'd she would never have with anyone else. Kennedy was different though. She had given Willow a whole new outlook on love. She made it wild and passionate.

            Kennedy had reached out to her. They had shared so much in time they had been together. But Willow had blown it after they'd gotten really close, after Kennedy gave her something. Willow had enjoyed it so much and she couldn't get her mind off of it.

            Willow walked by Axel's place, where Buffy had been staying. She remembered how she had spent the night there with Buffy. They hadn't done that in a while. She looked inside the window, hoping maybe that Buffy was inside. She gasped at what she saw.

            Tears dripped down her face. She couldn't bear to watch anymore. She turned and ran down the street, into the darkness. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. It horrified her. Her heart was broken.

            After several minutes of running, she finally realized where she was. Somehow she had ended up in the cemetery. Unfortunately, she had gone a long ways inside before she had noticed. She stopped and turned around, heading back towards the entrance.

            "Where you going sweetie?" a man said.

            Willow spun around towards the direction of the voice. The tears were still dripping down her face. 

            "I-I'm leaving," Willow replied.

            "I don't think so," the man replied.

            Suddenly, the man's face changed. His brow pushed back and fangs appeared in his mouth. Willow was startled a little, but she didn't show it.

            "So you've seen us before," the vampire said, "But you're not afraid. That's surprising."

            "L-leave me alone," Willow managed to stutter through her tears.

           The vampire lunged towards her. He punched her across the face, hitting her in the jaw. She fell to the ground in pain. The vampire smirked. This was going to be very easy for him.

            The vampire bent down, moving his mouth close to Willow's neck. He licked his lips and then moved in for the kill. He stuck out his tongue and licked Willow's soft skin. It tasted sweet to him. He shoved his fangs into her neck. Willow gasped in pain as the tears flowed down her face.

            She didn't have it in her anymore. She had nothing left, nothing to live for anymore. She didn't need to be here. Her friends didn't need her and Kennedy sure didn't. It was all over for her. She would probably become a vampire now.

            "Willow!" someone shouted.

            The vampire removed his fangs from her neck, blood dripped down her face. Hatred filled the vamp's eyes when he saw who it was. He rose to his feet, letting Willow lay there, still alive.

            Buffy dashed towards her friend and the vampire. She saw the vampire leave Willow and stand up. The vampire was now coming towards her. She ran at it. He was going to pay for taking a bite out of her friend.

            Buffy reached into her pocket and pulled out a stake. The vampire leaped into the air. Buffy was unprepared for an attack and the vamp kicked her square in the chest. She fell to the ground. The vampire dove at her. She gripped the stake and brought it up towards the vampire. The stake connected with the vampire's heart. It exploded into dust, which fell on top of Buffy. 

            Buffy rose to her feet, dusting herself off. She slid her stake back into her jacket and ran over to Willow. 

            "What the hell, Willow?" Buffy questioned.

            Willow didn't answer her friend. She just lay there crying, tears were dripping down her face. 

            "What's wrong with you, Will?" Buffy demanded, angrily, "What are you doing out here? You could've gotten yourself killed."

            Willow still didn't answer. The pain was too much for her. What she had saw hurt her so much. She couldn't bare it.

            "Willow!" Buffy shouted, "Snap out of it!"

            "Kennedy…I saw her," Willow replied, through tears.

            "Saw her what?" Buffy asked.

            "I saw her," Willow said, finally speaking clearly, "She was kissing him."

            "Excuse me?" Buffy questioned.

            "It's all my fault, Buffy," Willow cried, tears again dripping down her face, "I hurt her when I was tricked by the goddess. It's my fault."

            "Willow, that's no reason to get yourself turned!" Buffy scolded, "Come on, let's go for a walk."

            Buffy grabbed Willow's hand and helped her to her feet. Buffy pulled out a bandage and placed it on Willow's shallow wounds. Then the two walked off into the night, disappearing into the darkness.


	16. Lineage: Episode 16

Lineage

Episode 16

Giles's Apartment:

            Giles's attention had shifted over the past few days. He had put a hold on his search trying to decipher the rest of the prophecy dealing with the goddess. Now he was researching more on the slayer line. He had spent most of his life as a watcher and didn't know anything about the previous slayers or how a slayer originated.

            All of it baffled him. Of course he had read a bit of watcher's journals, telling about a certain slayer. But he'd never known their history, like where they came from or any major apocalypses that they adverted.

            He also wanted to be able to figure out which potential slayer would be called if Buffy were to die. There were very few of them left, but he wanted to figure out if one of the girl's Buffy had trained would become the slayer. If she wasn't, then he'd have to find her before she was called and bring her here.

            Just then, Buffy entered his apartment. As usual, she just walked right in without knocking. Giles didn't mind. He looked up from his books.

            "What else did you find out about the prophecy?" Buffy questioned, coming towards him.

            "Actually, Buffy," he began, "I've been researching something else."

            "But isn't this prophecy thing more important?" she asked, taking a seat at the table.

            "I believe that this is just as important. I am researching the slayer lineage," he replied.

            "How come?" she questioned.

            "I want to know all about it. I was thinking of starting the new Watcher's Council," he told her, "You know if we live through this apocalypse. And I need to know as much as I can about the slayer."

            "Like how she originated?" Buffy asked.

            "Yes, precisely!" Giles exclaimed.

            "I can tell you that," she informed, "I almost witnessed it firsthand."

            "Excuse me?" he asked.

            "Remember when I went through that portal?" she asked.

            "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

            "I met the men that created the slayer. The portal transported me back in time, I think. They tried to use the same magiks that they used to create the slayer."

            "Tell me more, Buffy."

            Giles pulled out a piece of paper. Then he pulled the pen from behind his ear. He was ready to take some notes.

            "Well, let's see. They attacked me. Actually, they knocked me out. There were three of them, shaman, I think."

            "Interesting, continue."

            "When I came to, I was chained inside a cave. The three of them surrounded me. It was all very weird."

_"What is this?" Buffy questioned._

_            "We are at the beginning. The source of your strength," the third shadow man informed, "The well of the slayer's power."_

_            The first shadow man spoke, "This is why we have brought you here."_

_            "I thought I brought me here?" Buffy questioned, "Listen you guys; I'm already the slayer, bursting with power. Really, I don't need anymore." _

_            "The first slayer did not talk so much," the first man said._

_            The three shadow men began beating their staffs rhythmically on the cavern floor. Buffy began struggling against her chains. The third man grabbed a small box and placed it onto a weird pattern on the ground. He then opened the box._

_            "Herein lies your truest strength," the first one said._

_            "The energy of a demon," the second one told her, "Its spirit."_

_            "Its heart," the third one told her._

_            "This is how you…" Buffy began to ask._

_            "Created the slayer?" the first one finished her sentence, "Yes."_

_            A weird black cloud began seeping out of the box and into the air before her. Buffy looked nervous. The first and second men are still beating the staffs on the ground._

_            "It must become one with you," the third man told her._

_            "No!" Buffy shouted as the cloud drew closer._

_            "This will make you ready for the fight," he continued._

_            "By making me less human?" Buffy questioned._

_            "This is how it was then," the second man replied, "How it must be now."_

_            "This is all there is," the first man told her._

_            The black cloud swirled around her, seeping into her nose and mouth. Buffy screamed and the black cloud came out of her nose and mouth. She struggled even harder against the chains as the cloud continued to swirl all over her body. It crept around her legs and up her skirt. _

_            "Make it stop!" Buffy shouted._

_            "This is what you came here for," the first man replied, "Don't fight it."_

_            "You think I came all this way just to get knocked up by some demon dust?" Buffy questioned._

_            The shadow men continued beating their staffs on the ground. The cloud continued to swirl around her. _

_            "I can't fight this," she said, "I know that now. But you guys, you're just men. Just the men that did this…to her. Whoever that girl was before she was the first slayer."_

_            She pulled together all her strength and pulled hard on the chains. They both snapped up, very easily. She smirked as she whipped one of the chains up, smashing the third shadow man in the face. He fell down, silently. _

_            "You don't understand," the first man spoke._

_            "No, you don't understand!" Buffy shouted, "You violated that girl, made her kill for you because you're weak, you're pathetic. You obviously have nothing to show me."     _

_            She lifted her and whipped the second man in the chest. He grinned in pain but came at her. Since the tapping of the staffs had stop, the black cloud just hovered in the air. She whipped him in the back of the head, knocking him out._

_            She walked right over to the last man and tore the staff from his hands. Then she broke it over her knee. The black cloud disappeared as the staff broke._

_            "I knew it," she said, "It's always the staff."_

_            "We offered you power," he informed._

_            "Tell me something I don't know," she retaliated. _

            "Are you telling me that you beat them up?" Giles asked.

            "Well what else was I supposed to do?" Buffy asked, "I mean, who knows what they were trying to do."

            "I suppose you are right," he replied, "Now I know a little more of what happened. Thank you."

            "Anytime."

Axel's Basement, AKA the Hellmouth:

            Bringers stood all around Seal of Danthalzar. It was radiating with power beyond imagination. Anything could come out of the seal. All it took was blood. The seal in this town had never been open before. Buffy walked up behind the Bringers.

            "My Bringers, this is a fresh seal," Buffy said, "We need to open it, to release my Turok-Han into this town. I will not lose this world to that thing. I will come to rule this world, not her."

            Buffy stopped talking. It wasn't Buffy anymore. There stood a familiar face to the Bringers.

            "The Good Book says 'Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.' No one will worship this goddess. They will all worship me," Caleb spoke.

            The Bringers turned from the seal. They pulled out their daggers. 

            "Go!" Caleb shouted, "Bring me a sacrifice! If you come across any of those who have the blood of the slayer, kill them!"

            The Bringer silently ran from the basement. Caleb stood there, glancing down at the seal. He smirked.

            "The day will come when I rule this world," he said aloud.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Danielle loved this new town. It was so much different from the Sunnydale. She hadn't even lived in Sunnydale for that long, but she still hated it. The reason that she liked this town better was because there weren't things always out trying to kill her. She could just enjoy life here in Haynesville.

            It was a little more than a year ago when she first discovered that she was a potential slayer. She didn't believe it at first, but once she came across her first vampire, things changed. She remembered her watcher. He was a brilliant man, but he met an unfortunate end when he was killed by Bringers while trying to protect her.

            Her watcher's last words to her were to head to Sunnydale, California. She didn't ask questions, she just left. She stayed in a motel for a few days. The one night, she was attacked by Bringers. Just as an axe was about to hit her head, she was shoved out of the way. The slayer, Buffy Summers, had saved her life. She never knew how the slayer knew that she was there, but she didn't ask questions. She was grateful to be alive. 

            She was walking along the streets of downtown. She had just left the mall. She had gone shopping. Now she was heading back towards her apartment. It was time to go back into the constant fighting of the other girls. She hated how all of them always fought, but it was nice having them around. There was always someone to talk to and she was never lonely.

           Suddenly, she heard a loud crash. Her head spun instantly in the direction of an alley. A trashcan was lying on its side. There was nothing strange about it. It was probably just a stray cat or other animal.

            She turned her head back. There was a hooded figure standing in front of her. He pulled out a dagger with a long blade. Danielle screamed. She knew who this figure was. It was a Bringer; so much for being safe here.

            Danielle turned and started to run. That's when she noticed there were more. Two more came out of the alley where the trash can had fallen. And three were now coming at here from the direction of the mall. She was surrounded. 

            "Hey!" someone yelled, "How do you guys get around?"

            Danielle looked past the Bringers. She saw a familiar face and smiled.

            "I mean, come on, you guys are blind," Buffy shouted, "How can you possibly see her?"

            Buffy ran up and knocked aside two Bringers. The others ran at her, bearing their blades. Buffy kicked another backwards. It fell into the Bringer behind it and both fell to the ground.

            "How can you fight me?" Buffy questioned, "Maybe that's why you lose every time."

            She gave another Bringer a roundhouse kick. Its neck snapped and its knives fell to the ground.

            "Oh goodie!" Buffy exclaimed, "Weapons!"

            She bent down and quickly claimed the daggers as her own. She twirled one around in her hand and then gripped it tightly. Two Bringers decided to charge her at once. Buffy ducked and their blades went into each other. Both fell to the ground dead.

            "I guess your master really didn't leave town. That's a shame," Buffy said.

            She flipped over three of them. The spun around just in time. Two of them got a dagger in their chest; they fell to the ground dead. The third slashed its dagger at Buffy. It sliced her across the chest. 

            "You're gonna wish you didn't do that," she replied, seriously.

            She bent down and quickly moved her leg underneath the Bringer, tripping it. It fell to the ground on its back. Buffy took both daggers and slammed them down into the Bringer's chest and stomach.

            She quickly pulled them out. She thrust one dagger backwards. It met its target, the stomach of the last Bringer. It was trying to attack her from behind. It fell backwards to the ground, dead.

            "Are you okay?" Buffy asked Danielle.

            "I-I thought we were safe here?" the girl questioned, "I thought we beat them."

            "Geez, there's a lot you guys haven't been told," Buffy replied, "Guess you'll find out soon enough. Come on, let's get you home."

            Buffy and Danielle began walking down the street. They were heading back to her apartment. Then Buffy had to talk to Giles. Just as the two entered the building, they heard a scream.

            "I thought the First left town," Buffy mumbled to herself.

            She took off running down the hall. That's when she realized that she forgot about something. She turned back to Danielle.

            "Get inside!" Buffy order, "Lock the door and keep the others inside!"

            She dashed down the hall. She turned the corner and saw Vi. Three Bringers were blocking her path. Buffy knew why she didn't turn and head back to the rooms. She didn't want to endanger the others.

            She reached in her pocket and pulled out a dagger from before. She tossed it through the air. It landed in the chest of the Bringer in the middle. Vi turned around and saw Buffy.

            "Thanks Buffy!" she called.

            "Watch out!" Buffy shouted.     

            The Bringers used her distraction to their advantage. The raised their daggers above their head. Vi's slayer sense kicked in. She dove forward just as the blades came down. She kicked both Bringers in the chest, knocking them backwards. Vi rose to her feet and ran to Buffy.

            "What are they doing here?" she asked, "I thought we beat the First."

            "It's a long story," Buffy replied, "Get to your room, I'll handle them."

            Vi took off down the hall to her room. Buffy heard the door lock behind her. Then she turned towards the Bringers. They were just rising to their feet, reclaiming their weapons. 

            "You guys are getting a little pathetic," Buffy said, "You can't even take these girls anymore."

            She gave one a front kick to the chest. He stumbled backwards and she heard some ribs crack. The second lunged at her, slashing its daggers, trying to kill her. She dodged most of them attacks, but she got a few cuts across her chest and arms. She kicked it in the stomach, causing it to hobble over.

            The first one regained its senses and reached for Buffy. It grabbed her and tossed her over its shoulder. She landed on her side and groaned in pain. She glanced up when she heard a door open. A familiar face appeared in the doorway.

            "Buffy?" Xander questioned, looking down at her.

            "Xander get back inside now!" Buffy ordered, trying to rise to her feet.

            She couldn't get up though. She was too tired. She hadn't slept in days and now it was taking its toll on her. It was because she was so worried about everything that had been going on lately.

            Xander looked down the hallway and saw why Buffy told him to get inside. He noticed that Buffy was still lying on her side. He realized that she must be hurt. He ran out to her and tried to help her up.

            "Xander, go away!" Buffy yelled, "I can take care of myself."

            "Not right now you can't," he replied, "You look exhausted."

            He placed his arm around Buffy and pulled her to her feet. It was obvious that she was hurt now. She grunted in pain as he helped her up. He dragged her into his apartment. 

            "No Xander," Buffy said, "I need to go back out there. I have to protect the girls."

            "Not like this you aren't," he said.

            He left Buffy in a chair and walked out into the hallway. He picked up an axe on the way out. He closed the door behind him. The two Bringers were advancing towards him. 

Xander's Apartment:

            Buffy sat in a chair near the kitchen. Giles, Xander, and Willow stood around her. Xander and Willow had managed to fight off the two Bringers. Giles had arrived shortly with news to give to Willow when he noticed that something had happened. When he didn't find Willow in her apartment, he went to Xander's, where he found the three.

            "What's going on?" Willow asked.

            "It seems to me like the First is acting up again," Buffy replied, "I'm just not sure what it has to do with."

            "Would somebody like to clue me in on all that has happened lately?" Xander asked.

            "Oh, I forgot," Willow said, "You haven't really been around."

            "Well, let's see," Buffy began, "An evil goddess was released from her prison. She's now here in Haynesville, messing with us. And now the First seems to be making some sort of comeback."

            "Oh that's all very intriguing," Xander said.

            "Giles, the First is going after the potentials again," Buffy informed, "I saved three of them tonight."

            "I'm sorry to report this, but my associate over in England has reported that potential slayers around the world are once again being targeted. The First is up to its old gig again," Giles informed.

            "It's attacking the slayer line again," Buffy added, "It wants to face me again. But then so does this goddess." 

            "Buffy, there is no way you can fight both of them," Willow pointed out.

            "You know Buff maybe the First is working for this goddess. Maybe she wants the First to weaken you so that it can easily take you out," Xander added.

            "Hmm…it does make sense," Giles began.

            "No it does," Buffy interrupted, "The First hates this goddess. It wanted me all to itself. I'm guessing that it wants to take me out before the goddess does."

            Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. They now had two major problems on their hands.

            "There is no one to tell the potentials of the world where we are," Giles informed, "They will all be hunted down, one-by-one."

            "Well then," Buffy said, "We better protect the girl's that we've got here. They may be the only chance to save the slayer line. And we can't risk losing that."

Downtown Haynesville:

            Buffy had asked Xander to walk her back to Axel's. Now the two were walking through the town. Neither said anything to anyone. But Buffy obviously knew that something was bothering him.

            "Anya's dead," Xander said, breaking the silence.

            "I'm sorry," Buffy replied solemnly.

            "Don't tell me that you didn't know," Xander replied.

            "I knew, but I wanted you to tell me yourself. How'd it happen?"

            "Back in the basement, during the fight with the Bringers, she lost her weapon and they attacked her. Buffy, they saw her die. And I could do nothing about it."

            Tears were now dripping down his face. 

            "Its okay, Xander."

            "How? Buffy, when someone dies, it's not okay. It hurts, Buffy. It hurts!"

            "Look, Xander, you have to let go. You can't just mope around for the rest of your life. You have to be strong."

            "I…I just…I dunno. I've never dealt with the death of someone that I loved before."

            "We've all dealt with them before. And I guess it was just your turn. You know, I lost Angel. Willow lost Tara and Giles lost Jenny."

            "I know, Buffy. But it's just so hard to get through each day without her."

            "It'll get better, Xand. I promise that it will get better."

            Xander wrapped his arms around Buffy. She just held him and let her friend cry out all his pain. 


	17. Hunted: Episode 17

Hunted

Episode 17

Axel's Basement, AKA the Hellmouth:

            "You can't be here!" Andrew shouted, "You're dead! Buffy killed you!"

            "Come on, Andrew," Jonathan said, "We'll be gods soon enough."

            "I'm not falling for your stupid tricks again," Andrew told him, "I know who you are, you're the First."

            Andrew was hanging from a large wheel, with an upside-down start carved in it. He was suspended above what looked like the Seal of Danthalzar. He had just been walking the streets of downtown Haynesville when he was attacked by Bringers. He had been knocked out and when he awoke, he was here.

            He was surrounded by Bringers. They all heard daggers. Andrew shuddered. He wondered what they were going to do to him. But he decided whatever it was, it wasn't a good thing.

            "What do you need me for?" he questioned.

            "To bring forth a little power," Jonathan said, quickly shifting into Warren, "You'll like them. You've seen them before."

            "Ubervamps," Andrew muttered.

            "That's right," Warren replied, "My Turok-Han will help me wipe out the rest of the slayer line."

            The Bringers stepped closer, raising their daggers. Suddenly, a dagger was inserted into Andrew's chest. He screamed in pain. More Bringers stepped forward and began carving little symbols into Andrew's chest, much like they had done to Spike before. 

            As soon as they were done carving they hoisted the circle above the seal. Andrew was unconscious now. His blood dripped from his wounds to the seal below. The blood filled up the design and the seal began to open.

            Several Turok-Han climbed up out of the seal. There were ten in all. The growled ferociously. Warren stepped forward to meet them.

            "Now my vampires go out and destroy the rest of the girls. Leave only her alive!" he exclaimed.

            The vampire ran off into the darkness. Warren stood there, with the Bringers, staring at the unconscious form of Andrew. He smirked.

            "Once he awakens," he began, "Throw him out."

Giles's Apartment:

           Buffy and Giles were seated in his apartment. It was getting dark outside. Buffy would have to go out patrolling soon. Giles had changed his mind and decided to allow Buffy to go out patrolling alone. Buffy was glad that he had.

            They were discussing everything that had been happening lately. It puzzled both of them that the First had come back and was still going after the slayer line. The First had told Buffy that it was not going to get involve with the goddess. But then it had come back for some reason.

            Buffy had recovered a little from the other day. She had finally gotten some sleep. Willow had let her stay at her place since Kennedy left. She slept for two days straight and was well refreshed. She was ready to go back out slaying.

            Buffy rose to her feet, ready to go. She knocked a newspaper on the ground as she moved. She made her way to the door.

            "I'll see you later, Giles," Buffy said, opening the door.

            "Hold on a second," Giles told her.

            Buffy stopped and glanced towards Giles. He picked up the newspaper that she had knocked over and was reading it. 

            "What is it, Giles?" Buffy questioned.

            "Something has arrived in town," Giles informed, "Look at this."

            Buffy walked back over and picked up the newspaper. She glanced down at the headline and the picture that went along with it. The picture showed a girl who had been mauled. 

            "What could have done that?" Buffy asked.

            "Well on occasion, a werewolf would do something like that. I think that may well be what did this," Giles answered.

            "Looks like I've got a mission tonight," Buffy said, "I'm going werewolf hunting."

The Outskirts of Haynesville:

            This was an unfamiliar place to Buffy. She hadn't been here before. And now she knew why. She could smell the swamps as she grew closer. She hated the smell already. She had to be there though. This is where the werewolf had been sighted. And she knew that this was where it had to be.

            She gripped flashlight tightly as she walked towards the wooded, swamp area. Her job wasn't to kill the creature. It was to catch it and help it. She knew she didn't have much time to find this thing. There was only three nights of a full moon and she had two left. She knew if she didn't find it tonight, there'd be more pressure the next night.

            She zipped up her jacket and kept walking. Just as she stepped off the road, she felt something cold touch her foot. She glanced down and realized she had stepped in the swamp.

            "Just great," she mumbled to herself.

            She walked around a little until she found a path through the swamp. The ground was hard enough to walk on. She was grateful for that. She walked deeper into the woods. The only light came from the full moon. Her flashlight shone off the trees and the dark, murky swamp waters. 

            That's when she heard a howl. She shone the flashlight in that direction. The werewolf sat head up towards the full moon. The flashlight glistened off its eye. Its head snapped in Buffy's direction. It broke into a full run towards her.

            Buffy reached into her pocket and pulled out a tranquilizer gun. She had one chance to hit her target. If she missed, the werewolf would get her. She couldn't screw this one up or it was over. 

            She aimed the tranquilizer at the werewolf. It was getting closer and closer. She had to wait for the right moment. Suddenly, something tackled the werewolf. Both creatures landed in the swamp. Buffy jumped back, startled.

            The werewolf was then tossed through the air. It landed, wounded, on its side, whimpering loudly. Buffy aimed the tranquilizer at it, but soon realized that it posed no threat anymore. Her attention shifted to whatever had attacked the werewolf. She pulled out a stake and gripped it tightly.

            The figure rose to its feet, growling ferociously. It charged Buffy, knocking her into the swamps. It was shoving her under the water, trying to drown her. Buffy used her feet, and pushed the figure off of her. She climbed out of the water, looking for the figure.

            She glanced around, searching for it. Her eyes stopped on something. The werewolf had transformed back into human form. She gasped. There lay Oz, an old friend of the gang's. He lay there, naked, in the dirt.

            Buffy heard growling and looked towards her left. The figure stood there, growling menacingly. It stepped into the light and Buffy stared in horror. The Turok-Han stepped closer towards her. Buffy knew she was in trouble now. She didn't know what she was going to do with Oz either.

            The Ubervamp charged her, knocking her back into the swamps. The vampire reached down and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her out of the waters. It lifted her high above the ground, strengthening its grip. Buffy struggled violently. It was no use; she just couldn't break the vampire's grip. 

            Her vision began to get blurry. This was it, the end for her. She was in the middle of the swamps. There was no one around to save her or Oz. She didn't save him, she failed. In a few moments, everything got dark.

Giles's Apartment:

            Buffy's eyes opened. She didn't know where she was. All she knew was that her neck hurt like crazy. Wait, hadn't she been in the swamps? She was now in a room somewhere. The last thing that she remembered was being held by the Ubervamp. She remembered that Oz had been attacked by it when he was in werewolf form. She wondered where he was.

            "Where's Oz?" Buffy questioned, sitting up.

            "Buffy!" Xander exclaimed, "You're awake!"

            He came walking over to the bed Buffy was lying on. He was the only one in the room with her. 

            "What happened, Xander?" Buffy asked.

            "Faith saved you," he replied, "She scared off the Ubervamp and brought you back here."

            "Where's Oz?" Buffy questioned.

            "Oh, I guess you must have seen him before you passed out," Xander replied.

            He turned and walked away. He disappeared into the hallway. Buffy wondered where he was going, but didn't ask. 

            "Hey B," Faith said, coming into the room, "Told ya I'd be back."

            Buffy smiled. Faith had come back, just as she said she would. Now she had power back in the gang again. She was definitely going to need Faith in this one.

            Buffy climbed out of the bed. Her and Faith left the room and headed into the apartment's living room. The others were there, Giles, Willow, Xander, Oz, and the remaining potential slayers. Buffy was surprises to see them all there.

            "Buffy," Giles said, "I'm glad to see that you're okay."

            "So what happened?" Buffy asked, "I thought I was done for."

            "It's actually quite a miracle that you're still alive. You're very lucky that Faith came along," Giles told her.

            "What brought you to the swamps, Faith?" Buffy asked.

            "I found Oz," Faith replied, "in Chicago. We were kind of helping each other out, sorting out our problems and all. Then last month, during the full moon, he got out. I've been hunting him ever since. Following would probably be a better word for that."

            "Something was calling to me," Oz added, "I can feel it even when I'm not a werewolf."

            "I followed him back here," Faith went on, "It took me a while to find him. I finally traced him to the swamps. When I got there, I saw Oz, in human form, lying on the ground, injured, and I saw you, being strangled by the Ubervamp. I beat it up a little and it took off. I called Giles, and he and Xander came and we brought you and Oz back here."

            "You've been here for a while?" Willow questioned.

            "About a week," Faith replied.

            "And you didn't come to us for help?" Giles asked.

            "I figured you guys had enough on your minds now. And I could handle Oz. I wanted to wait until Oz was back to normal before I came back here," she told them.

            The group was silent for a little bit. Buffy was surprised that the potentials were being quiet. They sure had grown up over the past several months. It had been a while since she had seen them all.

            "For all of you that haven't really been around lately," Buffy began, "I have a very bad news."

            Everyone's attention focused on her. She was going to tell them all what had been going on. She had to tell them what they were going to face eventually.

            "There is a new evil afoot," she went on, "An ancient, powerful evil; much more powerful than the First. It could destroy this whole world in the blink of an eye. She is a goddess, the Goddess of Evil to be more exact."

            There was now a look of horror on the girls' faces. They were terrified. They all thought that they'd be safe here in Haynesville. Now Buffy was telling them that something more powerful was gong to take them out.

            "Also, the First Evil is acting up again," Buffy continued, "It is again attempting to wipe out the slayer line. It wants to kill me before the goddess does. There seems to be some kind of unfriendly competition between the two."

            The gang got quiet again and serious. They all knew what Buffy was preparing to tell them. They didn't want her to say it; they didn't want to hear it. 

            "I'm sorry to say this," Buffy began, "I don't wanna say it. But this really is the end. It was hard enough fighting the First. This time we have no clue what we're going up against. We don't know anything about it. We don't know how to fight it. We can't fight her, she's too powerful. But we can try. We can fight until the end, until we all die. And in the end, we all will. There is no savior. We are all going to die. And there's nothing any of us can do to stop it."


	18. The Arrival: Episode 18

The Arrival

Episode 18

            It was nice to have Faith back. She liked having someone around that understood her. They got along well now ever since Faith had reformed. Buffy knew that Faith had been through some hard times throughout her life. She had to wait until Faith let her in, not ask about it as she'd done before.

            Faith had gone off soul-searching months before. She wanted to redeem herself for all the bad things she had done since meeting Buffy. Just as she promised Buffy, she had returned just in time for the apocalypse. Buffy was glad that Faith kept her promise.

            The two slayers were walking through the only cemetery in town. Faith hadn't been in there before. Buffy had, it seemed like she was there every single night. She had gone up against so much here lately. And she'd discovered many different things also.

            "So B, did I miss a lot around here?" Faith questioned.

            "Oh no, nothing important," Buffy replied sarcastically, "You know, just the occasional meeting of a goddess that created the evil in the universe."

            "What happened to Spike?" she asked, "I haven't seen him around yet. I need to thank him for helping me out."

            "Well there's a slight problem with that," Buffy informed.

            "Huh? What are you talking about?"

            "That wasn't Spike."

            "Are you kidding me?"

            "No. It was the goddess. She had me going for a while. Then Angel showed up and filled me in on what was going on. He told me how that wasn't Spike."

            "Hmm…well that's interesting. So the ex-lover came back to you?"

            "What? No, no, no," Buffy replied, "He gave me some information on the goddess."

            Faith nodded her head, showing that she understood Buffy. The two were looking for some action. They couldn't stand being boarded up in that apartment any longer. Reading books just wasn't their style. 

            "You know B I thought there'd be some sort of action out here with the whole end of the world thing coming soon."            "I did too. Unfortunately, it must be one of those slow nights."

            "Say I wonder where that Ubervamp thing is. We should go find it."

            Buffy didn't respond. She was staring at the forest on the edge of the cemetery. Something was moving around in there. And she was going to find out what it was. She took off running.

            "Hey! Where are you going?" Faith said, surprised, "I was talking."

            Buffy made it to the edge of the forest and peered in between the trees. There was definitely something evil in there. She could feel it.

            "Do you feel it, Faith?" Buffy asked.

            "You mean horny? No, not yet. That's after I…" Faith replied.

            "No Faith," Buffy interrupted, "Do you feel the evil radiating from this forest?"

            "Oh…" Faith responded, slightly embarrassed. 

            Suddenly something leaped down from the trees. It landed on top of Faith. Buffy turned her head looked at her friend. The Ubervamp was now straddling Faith, punching here in the face. Faith didn't know what had hit it. She was too bewildered to do respond.

            Buffy tackled the Ubervamp, causing it to fall to the ground. She wrestled with it, while Faith just lay there. The vampire rose to its feet quickly; so did Buffy. Unfortunately, Buffy wasn't fast enough. It kicked and sent her flying through the air. She landed with a thud on her back.

            Faith finally came to her senses and stood up. She watched as Buffy soared through the air. She ran at the Ubervamp and jumped kicked it. She fell to the ground; the vampire was unfazed by her attack. It bent down and lifted her up by the throat. It held Faith above the ground and began strangling her. 

            Buffy saw what was happening as she came to. She charged the vampire, stake in hand. She stabbed it into the vampire's back, causing it to drop Faith and turn its attention to Buffy. It swung it massive fist, but Buffy ducked. Faith stood up and kicked the vampire in the back, causing it to stumble forward. 

            Buffy gave the vampire a quick front kick to the face, then a roundhouse kick. Faith tripped the vampire, then straddled it, punching it across the face much like it had done to here. Buffy stood and watched.

            Suddenly, Faith was lifted off the vampire. Thick hands were wrapped around her neck once again. Buffy turned her head in the direction of Faith when she heard the girl gagging. Another Ubervamp had Faith by the neck. Buffy couldn't help her because the first one had gotten up and she was trying to block its attacks.

            The vampire hit her across the face, knocking her to the ground. It proceeded to kick her in the gut. That's when the vampire was tackled to the ground. Both the vampire and the dark figure had stood up and were facing off. The Ubervamp got in a few more hits, but then the figure went on the offense. The figure began knocking the vampire around. Within a few moments, the figure snapped the vampire's neck and it was dust. 

            Faith walked up to Buffy, injured. She had been able to dust the vampire that she was fighting too. Buffy and Faith watched as the figure walked towards them. As he stepped into the moonlight, Faith gasped and Buffy smiled.

            "Angel," Buffy said, smiling.

            "Told you I'd be back," he replied.

            That's when they heard a growl coming from the forest. The three turned around and saw what it was. A small army of Ubervamps were charging towards them through the trees. 

            "Hey Angel!" someone called.

            An African American man and a familiar man came running up towards the little group. The African American held an axe in his hands and the other had a crossbow.

            "Wesley?" Buffy questioned.

            "Hello Buffy," he replied, "It's good to see you again."

            "You're Buffy Summers?" the other man questioned, "The slayer?"

            "Hey Gunn," Faith called, "She's a slayer. I'm the other."

            "Now's not the time to be arguing," Buffy interrupted, "We have trouble."

            "Buffy, Faith, this is Charles Gunn," Angel introduced.

            "Nice to meet you," Buffy replied.

            The army of vampires came trudging through the forest. They had axes and other weapons. They were definitely ready for a fight. Unfortunately, Buffy and her little 'team' were not prepared at all.

            "What the hell are those?" Gunn asked.

            "Vampires," Buffy replied.

            "They sure don't look like any vampires that I've ever seen," Gunn said.

            "Look, we can't fight all of them," Buffy informed, "They're too strong. Retreat!"

            "Fine by me, B," Faith called as they ran away from the vampires.

            The vampires were giving chase. Buffy didn't like that fact. She knew they couldn't fight all them off. There were way too many, at least fifteen. She had a feeling that they'd end up fighting though.

            "They're giving chase!" Gunn called, "What do we do?"

            "Keep running!" Buffy shouted back.

            "Why don't we just fight?" Wesley asked.

            "How 'bout you stay and fight and we'll run?" Faith offered.

            "I'll pass," Wesley said.

            Buffy came stopped running at the cemetery gates. It was that time. She couldn't let them get out into the town. They had to handle them right now. Now the others had noticed Buffy had turned towards the vampires.

            "Their skin is tough to penetrate which means it's hard to get a stake in them," she told them, "Your best bet is to go for the head."

            "What are you talking about, Buffy?" Wesley asked.

            "Hello?" Faith questioned, "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. If you aren't gonna use that crossbow, then hand it over."

            "Are you sure this is a wise decision?" Wesley questioned.

            "I don't have time for this, Wesley!" Buffy yelled, "We're fighting them."

            The five of them stood ready for the fight. Buffy, Faith, and Angel had no weapons, making it tougher for them. Wesley and Gunn were not strong enough to handle the vampires, but Buffy needed all the help she could get. 

            "Get ready!" Buffy called.

            The vampires came at them fast. The fight was on with Buffy taking the lead. She ran straight past the first one then gave it a roundhouse kick to the back. It stumbled forward and she gave it another kick, knocking it over. She flipped over another one and it tripped over the one that she knocked down.

            Angel was knocking around one Ubervamp. He gave it a few punches to the face. The vampire growled in pain. Angel attempted a kick to the chest, but landed on his back instead. The vampire bent down and lifted him up. It tossed Angel into Gunn. Angel landed on top of him.

            Angel stood up and then helped Gunn to his feet. Three Ubervamps came at them. Gunn swung his axe, decapitating one vampire. But the other two knocked it from his hands. The axe spun through the air and landed on the ground.

            Buffy and Faith were double-teaming four vampires. They stood back-to-back, fending them off. They weren't doing too good though. Both were pretty beaten and it was getting worse. The vampires were too strong for them to handle. 

            Wesley was fairing poorly himself. He had lost his crossbow and had nothing left to fend them off. It had been snapped in half by one of the vampires. He had cuts and bruises all over. Blood was dripping from his nose and various cuts. 

            "Retreat!" Buffy shouted.

            No one hesitated at all. They all turned from their enemy and headed for the cemetery gates. Buffy reached the gates and shoved them open. The rest of the group ran out after them. Angel ran towards a truck that was parked in front of the cemetery. The window rolled down. Buffy noticed that there were two others inside the truck, a woman and a demon.

            "Get in!" Angel shouted.

            He tore open the back of the truck. He motioned to the others to get in that way. They headed towards him. The Ubervamps burst through the cemetery gates and came barreling towards the truck. They rushed the truck, almost knocking it over. Buffy and Angel were the only ones not in yet. 

            The vampires noticed them and charged towards them. Suddenly, the first three fell down. It seemed like they had been knocked out. Soon, the others were lying on the ground also. Buffy looked up and noticed several helicopters hovering above the cemetery. She wondered what was going on.

            Several men came sliding down ropes from the chopper. The men went towards the vampire and quickly dusted them. Faith, Gunn, and Wesley climbed out of the truck to join Buffy and Angel, who were obviously confused. One man stepped towards them. He looked very familiar to Buffy.

            "Hello Buffy," Riley said.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Spike was wondering down the streets. At least he wasn't floating like a normal ghost. He was glad for that. He'd finally made it to where Buffy had settled. The only problem was that he had no idea where to find her. Oh well, at least he'd gotten away from Angel and the others. 

            He came to an apartment complex. He saw a familiar face walking towards it. It was a young girl, probably around sixteen. She was one of those potential slayer girls that had lived with Buffy back in Sunnydale. He figured that she would know where Buffy was.

            "Hey!" Spike called as she came closer.

            The girl turned around, confused at who was calling her. Then she spotted the bleach-blonde man.

            "Hi," she answered, trying to figure out who this man was.

            Then it hit her. She remembered him. It was that vampire with a soul that had died closing the Sunnydale Hellmouth. 

            "You're dead," she said.

            "I guess you could say that, luv," he replied, giving her a half smile, "I'm a ghost. I think. Or something like that."

            "What are you doing here?" she questioned.

            "Actually, I'm looking for Buffy," he told her.

            "She's probably inside," the girl informed, "Follow me."

            The girl turned and entered the building. She held the door open for Spike, but he just walked through the second door. She didn't even notice and walked down the hall, Spike followed. Soon, the girl approached a door and knocked. It opened almost right away.

            "Why hello, Ashley," Giles said, opening the door, "What can I…Spike?"

            "Hello there, mate," Spike said.

The Cemetery:

            "Riley?" Buffy questioned, "What are you doing here?"

            "Well I heard there's something big coming soon," he replied.

            "You aren't wrong about that," she told him.

            "Hello Angel," Riley said with some hostility.

            Angel didn't respond, he just growled at the man. Riley wasn't surprised. Angel never really liked him. Not that he liked Angel that much either.

            "Riley, this is Faith, Wesley, and Gunn," Buffy introduced.

            "Nice to meet you all," Riley said to them, "Buffy, I'm here to help."

            "We don't need it," Angel replied quickly.

            Buffy glared at him. She then returned her attention to Riley.

            "Are they here to help too?" Buffy questioned, motioning to the military men behind Riley.

            "No they're just here to drop me off," he replied, "Do you need more help? Because, you know, they could always hang around here."

            "I need all the help I can get," she began, "But I don't think guns and helicopters are going to be able to beat this thing."

            "I take that as a no," Riley said, "All right boys, you're free to go."

            Several rope ladders dropped down from the many helicopters hovering above them. The men grabbed on and began their climb back on to the choppers. Within a few moments, the helicopters were gone.

            "So do you wanna cue me in on what's going on around here?" Riley questioned.

            "Let's wait until we get to Giles's place," she replied, "That way everyone can get the full scoop."

Giles's Apartment:

            "Spike?" Giles questioned, "But you're dead."

            "Yeah kinda," Spike replied, "It's a long story."

            Since Giles was blocking him from entering the doorway, Spike walked through the wall. Giles gasped in shock.

            "You're a ghost?" he asked.

            "Similar to, but not," Spike answered.

            "Spike?" Xander questioned as he rose from his place on the couch.

            Willow and Oz's attention focused towards the doorway when they heard Xander. They saw Spike standing in the next to Giles. They saw Ashley move away from the door just as Giles closed it. 

            "What are you doing here?" Xander asked, "You're supposed to be dead."

            "I came back you stupid git!" Spike exclaimed.

            "But how?" Willow asked as he approached the couch.

            "That's not important now," he said, "I need to see Buffy."

            "She's not here," Giles informed, "She's out patrolling with Faith."

            That's when the door opened. Everyone's attention was turned towards the door. Buffy stood there in the doorway. She looked like she had been beaten up.

            "Giles, we have a bit of company," she informed.

            "That we do," Giles said, motioning to Spike.

            Spike smirked when Buffy looked his way. She gasped in shock when she saw him standing there next to Willow and Oz.

            "Spike?" Buffy questioned, "B-but how?"

            "I see you've met the ghost that's been haunting me for months," Angel said, coming into the room.

            "Angel?" Giles questioned.

            Faith came in behind Angel. Both of them moved out of the way to let the others inside. Wesley and several others came in also.

            "Giles, this is Charles Gunn, Winifred Burkle, and Lorne," Buffy introduced.

            "Call me Fred," the girl told them all.

            "You can call me Gunn," the African American male told them.

            "Riley?" Willow questioned.

            "Whoa!" Xander exclaimed, "What is going on here? It's like a big Scooby reunion tonight. Except that no one told me."

            Oz began, "The gang's all here except for…"

            "Hi guys," Cordelia said, entering the apartment.

            "Cordy," Xander finished.

            "Oh my god, Xander!" Cordy exclaimed, "What happened to your eye?"

            "Well, it's a long story," he replied, "I'll explain it sometime."

            "Will someone explain to me why everyone is here?" Willow asked.

            "I received some information that something evil was brewing here in this town," Riley began, "My unit and I came to investigate. I didn't expect to find you all here."

            "An ancient evil is here in this town," Angel interrupted, "Wesley's department had discovered information about it a few months ago."

            "Excuse me, did you just say department?" Xander questioned.

            "Yes, he did," Gunn replied.

            "So you guys own like some huge company or something like that?" Xander asked.

            "Wolfram and Hart to be exact," Spike chimed in.

            "The evil law firm?" Giles questioned.

            "Yup," Spike replied.

            "Dear heavens, how did you manage to take over that?" Giles asked.

            "We're not quite sure," Wesley answered, "They just offered it to us and we accepted."

            "Interesting," Giles said.

            "Anyway," Angel continued, "We've been monitoring this demonic activity for the past few months. There is some sort of prophecy, about the attraction of demons to this Hellmouth."

            "The Gathering," Giles added.

            "Yeah, that one," Angel responded, "The Goddess of Evil is here in Haynesville. And she wants Buffy out of the way so that she can destroy this world."

            "Goddess of Evil?" Riley questioned.

            "She is one of two gods that helped create the universe. She is the one that created all evil in the universe," Wesley informed.

            "Well what do we do?" Gunn asked.

            That started a massive argument between everyone. Buffy was getting frustrated and backed away from everyone else. That's when she realized that the loud mouth wasn't there, Kennedy was no where to be seen. She walked up to Willow and tapped her on the shoulder. Willow spun around and followed Buffy. They headed into the other room.

            "Where's Kennedy?" Buffy asked.

            "Why?" Willow questioned.

            "Because I can't have anyone out around town on their own, it's too dangerous. Where is she?" Buffy questioned.

"Axel's place," Willow responded and disappeared back into the other room.

            "Axel's place?" Buffy wondered aloud, "What could she be doing there?"

            That's when it hit her! She knew why now. Willow had told her something a few weeks back that she had seen Kennedy kissing some guy. It had to be Axel. 

            She pushed through the crowd and disappeared out the door. No one even noticed that she had gone. She headed out of the apartment complex and dashed down the street towards Axel's place.


	19. Consciousness: Episode 19

Consciousness

Episode 19

Giles's Apartment:

            No one had even noticed that Buffy had just walked out on them. They were all too busy caught up in their arguments to even notice. Giles was attempting to explain what had been going on. Riley and Angel were arguing back and forth. Xander was explaining to Cordy what had happened to him. And the others were just having their own conversations.

            Meanwhile, Spike decided that he had had enough of these pointless arguments. He had already known that the First Evil had returned; he could feel its presence. And he knew that there was an evil goddess somewhere in this town; he could feel its presence too. He glanced around, looking for Buffy. He wanted to talk to her. Unfortunately, he couldn't find her. That's when he realized that she had gone off somewhere. And with that, he walked out through the door.

            "Well, last year we had this big confrontation with the almighty evil known as the First," Xander began, "Oh I think we're going on year three now."

            "You've been fighting this thing for three years?" Cordy questioned.

            "Unfortunately, yes," Xander replied, "It started messing with us once I came back from an empty void, as Giles likes to call it."

            "You were where?" Cordy asked.

            "It doesn't matter. That was a long time ago," Xander told her, "Last year, some weird preacher guy came to town. He was working for the First. He sent Buffy a message through a potential slayer that he had something of hers. Of course, Buffy went right in without a plan and we got our butts whooped."

            "By a preacher?" Cordy questioned.

            "Yeah," Xander replied, "It was Buffy, Spike, Faith, and I along with several potential slayers. We were getting beaten pretty badly from the beginning of the fight. Caleb, the preacher, had taken out Buffy, Spike, and Faith. When I went to help Buffy, she told me to get everyone out of there."

            _Xander was standing in the middle of the wine cellar. He glanced around at the potentials._

_            "Let's go!" he shouted, "We're leaving!"_

_            He turned to go and ran smack into Caleb. Caleb grabbed him by the throat. _

_            "You're the one that sees everything aren't you?" he questioned, "Well let's see, what we can't do about that?"_

_            He waved his hand in the air and then jammed his thumb into Xander's left eye. Spike watched from a distance. Xander howled in pain as blood poured from his eye socket. Spike slammed Caleb from behind, releasing his grip around Xander's neck. Buffy rushed over and she and Spike helped Xander out of the cellar._

            "Oh my god," Cordy murmured, "He took your eye."

            "It's not that bad," Xander replied, "Now all my other senses are heightened."

            "Everyone quiet down!" Giles shouted.

            Within a few moments, everyone was silent. He glanced around the room, making sure everyone was there. He didn't realize that both Buffy and Spike had gone off. 

            "Those vampires that attacked you in the cemetery, Angel," Giles began, "are called Turok-Han. They are what we would call Neanderthal vampires. They are extremely powerful agents of the First."

            "The First what?" Fred questioned.

            "The First Evil," Giles answered.

            "What's it doing here?" Cordy asked.

            "It wants to destroy the slayer line, killing off all the potential slayers and eventually Faith and Buffy," Giles replied.

            "So wait," Riley said, "What's this other evil being want?"

            "We're not really sure," Giles responded.

            "Well then, why is it here?" Oz asked.

            "Three men in Africa released her from her eternal prison," Angel replied.

            "Eternal prison?" Gunn questioned.

            "At the beginning of time, two entities decided that they were going to create a universe," Angel began, "One the God of Goodness and Righteousness, the other, The Goddess of Evil. They created the universe with their awesome powers. Each ruled over what they had created. The God of Goodness and Righteousness ruled over everything that was good, while the Goddess of Evil looked over everything that was evil. But the Goddess of Evil wanted more; she wanted to destroy everything that was good. He would not let her do so and soon a huge fight began. Worlds were destroyed, but in the end goodness triumphed. And with that, he sealed her in an eternal prison."

            "And those African guys released her?" Xander questioned.

            "Yes," Wesley replied.

            "Well then we need to go find them and make them send her back," Willow said.

            "That would be a little hard," Wesley told her.

            "Why's that?" Faith questioned.

            "They are dead," Wesley replied, "She killed them."

            "Oh well that's just swell," Xander said, sarcastically.

Downtown Hayensville:

            Buffy was nearing Axel's place. She had to get Kennedy back. She didn't want to know what was going on between those two either. The mere thought of it disturbed her greatly. She knew that if they were involved that she couldn't get her and Willow back together. But that wasn't the point. Kennedy shouldn't be out alone during this time.

            Buffy approached the building. She tried glancing in the window, but the curtains were closed. She headed to the door and was just about to open it when someone spoke to her.

            "What are you doing, luv?" he asked.

            Buffy spun around and came face to face with the non-corporeal vampire. He smirked at her.

            "How did you do it?" she questioned.

            "Do what, luv?"

            "How did you come back?"

            "Well, I'm not exactly back completely."

            "You know what I mean."

            "Right. Well I'm not exactly sure. One minute I was standing inside the Hellmouth, burning up and the next minute, I appear in some grand office in front of Angel and his buddies."

            "But how?"  
            "I'm not sure. According to Fred, I was trapped inside the amulet. For some reason, someone had found the amulet in the Hellmouth and mailed it to Angel."

            "No one could have found it down there."

            "Why not?"

            "The Hellmouth and all of Sunnydale were destroyed.

            "Oh."

            "Look, I haven't gotten time for this now. I need to get Kennedy out of there."

            "All right. Might as well tag along then."

            "Just stay out of the way."

            Buffy turned the doorknob and walked right in. Spike followed. Buffy gasped at what she saw. Kennedy and Axel were lying on the couch, Kennedy on top of Axel. They were making out. Buffy regained her senses and cleared her throat.

            Both of the jumped and Kennedy nearly fell of the couch. Axel sat up and looked at Buffy.

            "Oh hey Buffy," he said, "I haven't seen you in a few weeks."

            "No you haven't," Buffy replied.

            "Who's the friend?" he asked.

            "That's none of your business," she told him.

            "What's with all the hostility?" he asked.

            "What the hell are you doing with her?"  
            "What did it look like we were doing?"

            "She's just a kid," Buffy told him, "She only nineteen. You can't just take advantage of her when she's hurting."

            "She came on to me," he replied.

            Buffy glared at Kennedy. Spike stood behind her, confused at what was going on.

            "You what?"

            "I loved Willow!" Kenney shouted, tears falling from her eyes, "But she left me. She left me right after we shared something special. She left me for the dead bitch!"

            "Let's go, Kennedy," Buffy said, solemnly.

            "No, I'm staying right here with Axel!" she cried.

            "We're leaving," Buffy told her.

            "No!" Kennedy yelled.

            "Let's go, now," Buffy said.      

            "You think that just because you are the slayer that you have power over me!" Kennedy cried, "Well you don't. Now let me live my life the way I want to!"

            "That fact that I'm the slayer has nothing to do with what I just witnessed," Buffy replied, "You can't just go around making out with people because your girlfriend cheated on you. And besides, she wasn't even real. It was the Goddess of Evil. And now she and the First Evil are roaming around town. It's not safe. We need to get back to Giles's." 

            "You're her?" Axel asked, "You're the slayer?"

            Buffy attention turned from Kennedy to Axel. He had a very surprised look on his face. 

            "I've been searching for her and all this time she's been living in my place," Axel said, "I can't believe you're her."

            Buffy was speechless. She had finally revealed her secret to him. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. And there was no way to cover it up either. Now she had put another life in danger.

            "Uh oh," Spike said, "Looks like the lesbian let the cat out of the bag."

            Suddenly, the front window of the place shattered and the door burst off its hinges. Three Ubervamps came barreling into the apartment, growling. Buffy looked out the window and noticed several more of them.

            "Oh this night just keeps getting better and better. Nothing could make it any worse," Buffy said.

            "I'd hafta disagree with you on that one, pet," Spike said, "Look there."

            Buffy looked further and behind the army of Ubervamps was an army of those demons that Buffy had fought a few nights ago; the one's with the sharp blades as arms.

            "Me and my big mouth," Buffy muttered.

            "Oh my god!" Kennedy exclaimed, "There must be like a hundred of them."

            "I'd say more than that," Spike replied.

            "Its all coming together now," Axel said, "You wanting to protect that guy in the woods, you always going out at night, and those demons that attacked us in the cemetery that night."

            "You know, pet," Spike said, ignoring Axel, "You and Red's lover are on your own on this one. I couldn't harm a fly. Only when I concentrate anyways. But I won't be much of a help."

            Suddenly, Axel's floor began to crack. It split in two. Buffy glanced down and saw it; a seal, like the one back in Sunnydale.

            "I forgot," Buffy said, "Faith told me that this was where the Hellmouth was."

            "Hellmouth? "Axel questioned.

            "Oh this bloody place just seems to get better and better," Spike said to himself.

            "Run!" Buffy yelled.

            Kennedy, Axel, and Buffy turned and ran towards the back of Axel's place. Kennedy kicked open the backdoor, knocking it off its hinges. The Ubervamps and demon came smashing into the building, destroying the entire front. They took chase after the small group.

            They dashed off into the alley. Spike was bringing up the rear. He didn't really have to run. It wasn't like the vampires or demons could harm him. He just wanted to make sure that Buffy was going to be alright.

The Cemetery:

            "Where are we going, Buffy?" Kennedy questioned.

            "I'm not sure," Buffy replied, "I need to find someway to get rid of those things."

            Buffy had led Kennedy and Axel to the cemetery. They had gotten a pretty good lead over the two armies. They were stopping for a short breath. Buffy also knew that Axel and Kennedy needed to rest for a moment. 

            "What are those things?" Axel questioned, "They look like vampires."

            "They are vampires," Buffy replied, "I think Giles called them Neanderthal-like vampires."

            "Who's Giles?" Axel asked.

            "It's not important now," Buffy told him, "I'm sure you'll meet him as soon as we get out of this mess."

            Buffy rose to her feet. She knew that they had to keep going. It was only a matter of time before the vampire and demon armies caught up with them.  

            "All right," Buffy said, "Time to get moving."

            Kennedy and Axel rose to their feet again. Buffy started off at a slow jog. Kennedy and Axel started off walking, but soon caught up to her pace. They were soon moving at a fairly quick pace through the cemetery. Within a few moments, they were out of the cemetery and in a different part of town.

            "Where are we?" Kennedy asked.

            "Not sure," Buffy replied, "I've never been here before."

            "We're on the other side of town," Axel informed, "We're near the ocean."

            "Oh well that's just great," Buffy said, "We are going end up trapped."

            "What!" Kennedy exclaimed.

            "She's right," Axel said, "There's no where else to go. We'll be at the beach in a few minutes."

            And Axel was right. Within a few minutes, the three of them were walking on sand. That's when Buffy just stopped. Axel looked confused, but Kennedy knew what was wrong. She walked towards Buffy. 

            "Buffy, this is my fault," Kennedy said, "If I hadn't have gone off like that, we wouldn't be in this position."

            Buffy turned to face the young girl. She looked the girl in the eyes. She could tell that Kennedy was being sincere and that she was truly sorry.

            "It's not your fault," Buffy assured, "You didn't know. Someone should have checked up on you sooner."

            "No, Buffy!" Kennedy yelled, "It is my fault!"

            "Don't beat yourself up over this," Buffy told her, "It could have happened with anyone."

            "But it didn't," Kennedy replied, "It happened with me. And now it's going to be my fault that we get killed."

            "You're not going to die," Buffy reassured, "I'm not gonna let you."

            "What?" Kennedy questioned.

            "You two are going to get out of here alive," Buffy informed.

            "What are you talking about?" Kennedy asked.

            "When I die, there is a chance that you will be the next slayer," Buffy began, "Better for you to get away, then for us both to die."

            "Not a very good chance," Kennedy argued.     

            "Think positively!" Buffy exclaimed.

            That's when a loud growl echoed across the beach. It was louder than the roar of the waves. It made Kennedy shake. She was scared to death. 

            "Here they come," Buffy said to herself.

            The Ubervamps appeared on the horizon. And behind them were the deadly demons. There must have been hundreds of them. Buffy pulled a stake from the sheath inside her jacket. She stood ready for battle.

            "Run!" she shouted.

            "What?" Axel questioned.

            "Get out of here," Buffy told them, "I'll keep them away from you."

            "I'm staying and fighting," Axel told her.

            "No you aren't!" Buffy yelled, "Go! Get out of here!"

            Kennedy and Axel turned from the slayer. They glanced out over the horizon and saw the armies approaching rapidly.

            "Tell Faith to hold the line!" Buffy called.

            Kennedy turned back towards Buffy and nodded. Then he and Axel ran off down the beach, away from Buffy and from the army. After getting a good distance away, Kennedy turned and glanced back. The army was getting closer to Buffy. 

            "Come on," Axel said, "We need to keep going."

            Meanwhile, Buffy stood glancing out at the army. She knew this was it; this was the end for her. She hoped the others could hold the line and save the world without her. The army was approaching rapidly. Within moments, they were within a hundred yards of her.

            They rushed towards her, the Ubervamps first, followed by the demons. Buffy pulled out another stake. The first few vampires reached her. She slammed a stake into the first one. It exploded into dust, which blew away in the ocean breeze. She gave another a sharp front kick, knocking it into two more. All three fell to the sand.

            The second wave of vampires reached her. She knocked around two of them. But another punched her in the side. She stumbled, but stood her ground. She gave it a side kick and quickly followed it up with her stake. 

            Two more came at her. They tackled her to the ground. They both began pummeling her. Soon, she was surrounded by several vampires. Within moments, several demons had surrounded her too. Buffy knocked away the vampires, dusting one. She rose to her feet and continued fighting against the impossible odds.

            Three of the demons came at her, the sharp blades glistening in the moonlight. Buffy managed to dodge the first two, but the third sliced her across the stomach. She kicked it in the face, knocking it away. Two Ubervamps lunged towards her. They began punching her across the face. More of the demons began slicing their blades at her.

            Within moments, Buffy had deep cuts all over her body. They were not letting up either. Buffy continued fighting but was quickly becoming exhausted. She couldn't last much longer. But at least she bought Kennedy and Axel some time to get away.

            Suddenly, a demon stabbed its blade into Buffy's back. She gasped in pain. The blade went straight through. The demon pulled its blade out. Buffy fell to her knees in the sand. She dropped her stakes and tried to cover up the wound to stop the bleeding. The demons continued slicing her as she kneeled there. A vampire punched her in the jaw, causing it to crack. 

            Buffy gathered all her strength. In one swift move, she grabbed her stakes and rose to her feet in fury. She slashed and stabbed the stakes in lightning-quick movements. Another demon slashed its blade across her stomach.

            Buffy fell to the ground, face first. The demons and vampires weren't finished yet. They were still attacking her. Everything began to get dark for Buffy. This was it; this was the end for her. Her mind began drifting back to everything that had happened to her since she'd become a slayer. Her life was flashing right before her eyes. That's when a vampire kicked her in the head. Everything went black.

            While the fight was going on, Spike appeared in the dunes. He had suddenly disappeared after following Buffy for a short while. He had finally reappeared. He glanced down towards the ocean. He noticed two large armies fighting something. One army was of the Ubervamps. The second was of strange-looking demons. They had blades for arms.

            "So much for being enemies," Spike muttered to himself.

            Spike wondered what they were fighting against. There didn't seem to be anything there. After a few moments, he figured that they must be feeding off of something. He turned away and began walking back towards the town when he heard the two armies moving.

            When he finally turned back, he saw something lying in the sand, face down. He walked slowly towards the corpse. It was obvious that it was human. The body was cut and bruised all over. There was blood everywhere. He continued walking closer.

            Spike gasped at what he saw. He was horrified. There lay the woman that he loved, in the sand. Buffy had been the victim of the two armies. Buffy was dead.

Giles's Apartment:

            Angel and Xander had returned a few hours later. Angel was carrying Buffy's dead body. After Spike had found her body, he rushed back to the apartment to inform everyone of what had happened. Angel and Xander had gone off to retrieve the body.

            Kennedy and Axel arrived at the apartment a little after Spike had. Axel had been introduced to the gang and then Kennedy explained what had happened leading up to the events on the beach. She also gave Faith Buffy's final message.

            The gang was quiet when Angel and Xander returned. Giles was the first to come towards Buffy. Tears were in his eyes as he approached Angel. He brushed Buffy's bloody bangs away from her face. He slowly moved his hands down her cheek. 

            Willow approached Giles with a wet rag. She handed it to him and then backed away. She was terribly upset with what had happened. Giles used the rag to wipe away the blood from his slayer's face. After cleaning her face, he began cleaning off her neck.

            As he wiped away the blood from her neck, he thought he felt something. It startled him enough that he dropped the rag on the floor.

            "What's wrong, Giles?" Xander asked.

            Giles didn't answer Xander. He moved his hand up to Buffy's neck once again. He used his two fingers and pressed them to her neck. There was pulse!

            "She's alive," he said.

            "What?" Angel questioned.

            "She has a pulse," Giles told them.

            Everyone in the room looked up towards Giles and Angel. Their spirits lifted when they heard what Giles said. 

            "Put her on the bed in the other room," Giles said to Angel.

            Angel left the living room and headed into the bedroom. He laid Buffy down on top of the comforter. 

            "Willow, get the first-aid kit," Giles told her.

            Several minutes later, Buffy was cleaned up. Her wounds were dressed and most of the blood was washed away. But she still hadn't woken up. Giles concluded that she was in a coma.

            "How long 'til she comes to?" Faith questioned.

            "I'm not really sure," Giles replied.

            "It could be days," Wesley added, "Weeks even. Or she might not even wake up."

            "Let's hope she does," Faith said.

            "What do we do now?" Oz questioned.

            "You heard what Buffy said," Cordy said.

            "What was that?" Xander asked.

            "Hold the line," Faith said.


	20. Hold the Line: Episode 20

Hold the Line

Episode 20

Giles's Apartment:

Faith had only been back for a few weeks and already she was put in charge of everything. She was their leader. She was the one who would lead them into battle against the two evils now. This would be the second time. But this time was different. Buffy wouldn't come back, she was out of it. And her troops were larger, which meant that more lives were in her hands.

She hadn't seen the potential slayers since she came back to town. But according to Giles, they were living in the same apartment complex. She liked having Angel and his gang in town. It was so nice to have them around. She especially enjoyed having Angel around because she felt like she could relate to the vampire.

Xander was happy once again. He and Cordy had hit it off again. They couldn't stand to be apart from each. Cordy was so concerned for him because of his eye. And that may have been the reason that they were dating again. But it seemed like they were in love.

Willow was a mess. She was extremely depressed, definitely not herself. She always seemed to be out of it. She had lost so much over the past several years. First, she lost Tara, then Xander was injured, then she lost Kennedy, and now Buffy was in a coma. When Buffy came back to the house, Willow lost it. She just stopped talking to everyone. She'd just sit there and listen.

Giles and Wesley were busy at the books. They were trying to find as much information about the gathering and this goddess. But it was leading them no where. Everything they were getting was old news. It was all the same things they already knew.

Riley was just being annoying to everyone. He kept offering them all tips on how to do things. He would also brag to Angel how Buffy loved him better. And his military tactics just pissed Faith off. He kept thinking that he was the leader, instead of Faith.

"Look Faith, I just think that we should just do it my way," Riley insisted.

"Why so we can get everyone killed?" Faith questioned, "I don't think so. We're doing things my way. And if you don't like it, you can go back to your military buddies."

"I'm just saying that we should sit tight for now," he said, "Wait for them to come to us."

"Why?" Faith asked, "So we can be unprepared and get killed?"

"No, it's safer this way," Riley argued.

"Look here, army boy!" Faith yelled, "I'm in charge here! And you will do what I say. End of discussion!"

"Faith, we are gonna get killed if we go on the offensive," Riley kept going.

Faith pulled back her fist and hit him across the face. He fell like a sack of bricks. Faith knew he'd be out for a while.

"Now that wasn't very nice, Faith," Angel said, walking up to her.

"He just pisses me off so much," Faith replied, "I can't stand him. I mean, why's he even here?"

"Look I don't like him much at all," Angel told her, "But we need all the help we can get. He's trained by the military so he does know how to fight and defend himself."

"Is that the only reason?" Faith questioned.

"Yes," he replied, "Come on, Giles wants us in the other room."

The two left Riley lying there on the floor and headed into the living room. Everyone else was seated all around the room. Angel and Faith stood there.

"As you all know, two vicious armies are wondering around town at night," Giles began, "Both greatly outnumber us and are much stronger than any of us here."

"What are you getting out, Giles?" Xander questioned.

"We need to surprise our enemies one by one. That is the only way to defeat them," he replied.

"What are you trying to say?" Cordy asked.

"What Giles here is trying to say is that we need to attack each group separately," Wesley confirmed.

"And how do we possibly do that?" Gunn questioned, "I mean come on they are both ten times stronger than us. And plus, there are way more of them."

"We did it once before," Xander informed, "And I know we can do it again."

"Yeah, well I'll believe it when I see it," Gunn replied.

Suddenly the door was pushed open. A raggedy-looking man stumbled into the room. His clothes were torn and bloody and he had a scraggly-looking beard. He was obviously in pain.

"Andrew?" Xander questioned.

Andrew dragged himself into the room. He was limping. He walked over to the couch and collapsed. Xander rushed over to him, helping him sit up.

"What happened to him?" Faith questioned.

"I don't know," Xander replied, "I haven't seen him in a few weeks. One night he went out, but never returned. I didn't think anything of it because I figured he left town to get away from everything."

"It got me," Andrew murmured.

"What was that?" Giles asked.

"They got me," Andrew replied, speaking a little louder.

"What did?" Faith asked.

"The Bringers," Andrew answer, talking normal.

"The what?" Gunn questioned.

"They are agents of the First Evil," Giles replied, "They are blind monks."

"Blind?" Gunn asked.

"Yes," Faith replied, "Okay Andrew, tell us what happened."

"I was captured by Bringers a few weeks ago. They took me to the Hellmouth," he told them, "It was in the basement of some store. There was one of those seals down there, a Seal of Danthalzar. The First appeared as Jonathan and tried to trick me again. It had me hung above the seal and the Bringers cut me open with big daggers."

"Ouch," Kennedy replied.

"They opened the seal and those things came out," he continued, "The Turok-Han."

"So that's how they got out," Giles said aloud, "From what I've read, only the blood sacrifice of a human or demon can open the Seal of Danthalzar. These seals are the doorways to every Hellmouth in the world."

"You guys kept throwing around this word Hellmouth," Fred said, "What is a Hellmouth?"

"A Hellmouth is the doorway to all hell dimensions," Wesley replied.

"In other words," Xander added, "It's a place where all those demons come from."

"Oh." Fred replied.

Buffy's Room:

Spike stood by himself. He was in the room where Buffy was. She was in a coma and had been for a week now. She'd been in one every since that night on the beach, ever since she was attacked by those demons and vampires. That was the night he had followed her when she went after Kennedy; that was the night he failed her. 

It was his fault that Buffy was in a coma. He had promised himself that he would protect her. He had lost her while they were fleeing and by the time he had found her again, it was too late.

He kept beating himself up over it. He felt so guilty. It was the bleeding soul. He couldn't take it sometimes; it was driving him crazy. At some point, it made him wonder why he even went and got a soul. But it all came back to him. He had gotten it for Buffy.

"Are you okay Spike?" Fred asked, coming into the room.

Spike jumped. She had startled him. He turned and came face-to-face with the young girl. He smiled.

"I'm fine," he replied.

"You don't look it," she said.

"It's just…all my life…I never cared," he began, "I never cared if someone got hurt…I never worried about them. But this...this is different."

"Do you love her?" Fred asked

"Do I love Buffy?" Spike questioned.

Fred nodded. 

"Yes."

"Does she love you?" Fred asked.

"I'm not sure," Spike replied, "She told me once, but it was just because I was about to die."

"Do you know that for a fact?"

"Yes."

"Spike, what happened that day?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Spike turned and walked out of the room, through the wall. Fred turned and looked down towards the bed. Buffy didn't show any signs of waking up anytime soon.

Giles's Apartment:

"All right everyone!" Faith called, "We're going with Giles and Wesley's plan."

"You mean that we're going to fight?" Fred questioned.

"That's right, sweetie," Faith replied.

"It's about time!" Gunn exclaimed, "Been waiting for the action!"

"Here's the deal," Faith began, "We're going vampire hunting. We are going after the Ubervamp army. We're done it once before and we're going after them again."

"Sounds fun!" Gunn exclaimed.

"We are going to hunt them down and kill them all off," Faith informed, "Angel, Gunn, Wesley, Riley, Oz, Kennedy, Axel and Cordy, you are all going with me."

"Why me?" Cordy protested.

"Because I need as much help as I can get," Faith answered.

"Why can't I stay here?" Cordy questioned, "I'm not gonna be much help."

"No more chatting!" Faith yelled, "We need to get moving. We don't have all the time in the world. Grab some weapons! Let's go!"

With that, the others grabbed several weapons and headed out into the night. Giles stood and closed the door behind them. Andrew cautiously fell asleep on the couch after all the noise stopped.

"I hate this!" Xander shouted, "I can't help with anything anymore. I just get left behind."

"Don't worry about it baby cakes," Lorne said, "Probably better that you stay here. Don't want to end up dead now, do you?"

"At least you're still of the living," Spike spoke up, walking into the room, through the wall, "I'm stuck like this for bloody ever!"

"Calm down, Spike," Fred comforted, "We will get you back to normal. We're working on it."

"Bloody hell! I can't stand this anymore! I can't do anything anymore! I useless!" Spike shouted, "No need to have me around anymore."

Spike walked right through Giles's apartment door. Giles, Xander, Lorne, and Fred looked at each other. Giles turned back to his books and continued his readings on the apocalypse.

The Beach:

"Why the beach?" Wesley asked.

Faith didn't answer. She just glanced down the beach, listening to the crashing of the waves on the shore.

"This is where Buffy was taken down," Kennedy answered quietly.

"I figure this would be the first place to look," Faith spoke, "See if we can find a trail leading us to where the vampires might be."

With that, Faith began wondering around. The others split up and began searching the beach for any type of trail that they could find. Angel walked over to Faith.

"You're doing a good job," he commented, "Buffy would be proud."

"I feel so alone, Angel," Faith said, "I'm the leader and I'm the one to blame when everyone loses their heads. I can't carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. That's always been for Buffy. I just follow, I don't lead."

"It's okay," Angel comforted.

"No listen," she said, "Last time I lead people into battle, it ended up being a trap. I got a lot of potentials slayers killed and injured myself badly. When I came to, I felt so bad."

"Look Faith," Angel began, "Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has to make tough decisions in their lives. You've just had to make the toughest ones that anyone has ever and will ever make. But you know something you have made the right decision this time. You knew that we couldn't sit around and wait for the end, so you acted. I believe in you, Faith. I know you can do this."  
"Thanks Angel," Faith said, "Thank you so much."

"Vampires," Angel said.

"What was that?" Faith questioned.

"They're coming," he replied.

Faith turned and looked in the direction that Angel was. She glanced down the beach and saw them. It was like a stampede. The army seemed never-ending to Faith and Angel. There seemed to be thousands of Turok-Han. They were quickly approaching the group. The others noticed and came up besides Faith and Angel.

"You wanna take that statement back now?" Faith asked.

"No," he said, "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Faith exclaimed, holding her axe, ready for battle.

The Ubervamp army was closing in on the gang. The gang held their stance though. They weren't backing down from this one. They had to defeat these vampires in order to have any chance of winning this war.

The first several vampires came barreling towards them. Faith swung the axe and decapitated the first vampire. She followed up with a slice to another's chest. The vampire howled in pain and swung its massive fist at Faith. Before the fist could reach her, it was sliced clean off. She smiled at Angel.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem."

Angel bashed a vampire in the face with the side of his hand. It fell to the ground, bewildered. Angel slammed the sword down, right through its heart. Then he thrust it forward, into the gut of another. He pulled the sword out and sliced its head clean off.

The second line of vampires quickly charged through the group. Faith hacked the axe right through another vampire's chest, cutting it in half. She swung the axe straight down on another, slicing it straight down the middle. She quickly swung the axe to her side, decapitating another.

Wesley and Gunn were handling themselves pretty well considering they had never fought these massive vampires before. They were now taking on five vampires. Wesley's mace was quickly knocked away. He quickly pulled the crossbow around, which was dangling from his back. He fired a bolt into the vampire's heart. He was shocked when he realized that it didn't work.

The vampire kicked the crossbow out of his hand. Luckily, Gunn was there. Gunn brought his mace down on the vampire's head, killing it. Wesley ran over to the mace and picked it up out of the sand. He swung it, nailing a vampire in the stomach. Gunn swung his mace but it was caught and ripped from his hands. The vampire used it to knock him to the ground.

Kennedy was doing well. She was proving to be a good and stronger fighter. She swung her sword, cutting two vampires in half. Another vampire lunged at her from behind knocking her to the ground. She flipped it off and thrust the sword through its heart. She gave another a roundhouse kick, snapping its neck.

Meanwhile, the others were not doing too well. Riley was getting pummeled by two vampires. His face was bloody and his shirt was stained with it. He swung an axe, decapitating a vampire. Another charged, tackling him to the ground. The vampire began punching him the stomach. Just as it was about to move in for the kill, it exploded into dust. Oz bent down and let Riley a hand, pulling him to his feet.

"I owe you one, Oz," Riley thanked.

Faith and Angel were now surrounded by at least ten vampires. The vampires were circling them slowly, ready to pounce.

"Wait for them to attack, Faith," Angel informed.

A vampire lunged forward and Faith sliced its head off. That was the cue for the others to attack. They ran at the two of them. Angel swung the sword, slicing three vampires' heads off in one swing. Faith brought the axe up, slicing a vampire in half from between the legs.

Angel tripped another and then cut the vampire in half. Another vampire charged him, knocking him off balance. That caused two more to come forward. They knocked Angel to the ground and proceeded to stomp on him. Angel grunted in pain as a few ribs broke.

Faith thrust her sword straight through the heart of one of Angel's attackers. This made the other advert his attention to Faith. It swung its massive fist, hitting Faith in the face. Then it punched her in the stomach, causing her to fall backwards to the ground. It jumped on top of her and continued beating her.

Angel regained his senses and rose to his feet. He gripped the sword and sliced at the vampire pummeling Faith. It growled angrily and jumped at Angel, who used his sword to cut its head off. Angel then bent down and helped Faith to her feet.

The two then glanced around at the others. They were definitely not doing too well. These vampires were way too strong for them to handle.

"This isn't going too well," Faith said, "We should get out of here."

"We can't," Angel said, "We have to keep fighting."

Downtown Haynesville:

Spike wondered alone through downtown Haynesville. There was nothing for him anymore. He was useless to everyone. He thought about leaving. It wouldn't be that hard either, no one could stop him.

"Where are you going?"

Spike spun around. He saw the one-eyed boy following him. Spike turned back, ignoring him, and kept walking.

"I know how you feel."

"And how's that," Spike called back.

"Useless."

"And what's your point?" Spike asked.

"I am too."

Spike stopped walking and turned around again.

"How so?" he questioned.

Xander motioned to his eye.

"I'm not useful," Xander replied, "I can't fight anymore."

"At least you can still have an impact on everything," Spike said, "At least you matter."

"You do too."

"What are you talking about?

"You matter to Buffy."

"What?"

"Buffy loves you."

"No she doesn't."

"Spike, Willow told me that this goddess thing created an image of you to fool Buffy."

"And your point is?"

"It worked. She truly believed that it was you. She'd always go out and wouldn't return until the next morning."

"That's not love. That's just like me going out and getting that Buffy-Bot made. It's not love.

"When the First was tormenting 'you', Buffy was always there. She was always protecting 'you'. She didn't let the First's minions get the best of you."

Spike stopped. It was starting to sink in.

"You're not useless. You saved the world. You're a hero, a ghost hero, but nonetheless, a hero."

The Beach:

Cordy had no idea what to do. The axe she carried wasn't really doing much. She couldn't use it effectively. The vampires just kept moving out of the way. She was kind of standing off to the side, attempting to attack the stragglers. But her efforts were futile. She kept trying though.

Gunn was smacked to the ground once again by the vampire. He was getting pummeled with his own mace. He gasped in pain each time he was hit. Axel came running up and jumped on the vampire's back. The vampire dropped the mace, trying to knock the man off.

Gunn picked up his mace and swung it at the vampire's chest. The vampire howled in pain. It reached around and grabbed Axel by the throat. It lifted him into the air as it squeezed Axel's windpipe harder. Wesley and Gunn bombarded the vampire with their maces. The vampire tossed Axel through the air and swung its fist quickly, knocking both Wesley and Gunn to the ground.

Riley and Oz were back-to-back, fighting off the vampires. They were not doing well at all. The vampires had the upper hand and they knew it. Riley swung his axe and sliced a vampire in half. But another quickly took its place. It smacked Riley across the face, breaking his jaw. Riley yelled in pain.

The vampire punched him again and again in the chest. Riley heard a few of his ribs crack. Oz was tripped and then lifted into the air. The vampire tossed him through the air. He landed in the sand, face first. Riley fell to his knees as the vampire kept hitting him. He gasped in pain each time.

Oz turned and glanced in Riley's direction. He was done and all Oz could do was watch what happened to the soldier. Oz couldn't move at all, he was in too much pain.

Riley reached down to his belt. Oz gasped at what he saw Riley pull from the belt. It was a grenade.

"Run!" the soldier yelled, "Everyone get out of here! Now!"

Everyone turned in the direction of Riley. They saw him hold the grenade tightly, reaching for the pin.

"You heard him!" Faith shouted, "Retreat!"

Everyone turned and ran down the beach. Riley reached for the pin and yanked it out. He dropped it to the ground in front of him. It hit the sand and just stayed there. The Ubervamps were all confused. They wondered why everyone had run off.

Suddenly, the grenade went off. The explosion rocked the beach. Sand and dust flew everywhere. The gang was knocked off their feet as they ran. Faith glanced back towards the battle site. She saw Gunn laying face down in the sand. Angel noticed and ran over to his fallen friend. He checked the pulse. Gunn was dead.

Giles's Apartment:

Faith and Angel came stumbling into the apartment, followed by the rest of the gang. Giles jumped to his feet as he saw them walking in. They were all hurt, some more than others.

"My god!" Giles exclaimed, "What happened?"

"There were too many of them," Faith said, "But we won."

"Where's Gunn?" Fred questioned, looking worried.

"I'm sorry, Fred," Angel said, "He didn't make it. The explosion killed him."

"Did you say explosion?" Giles asked, "Where did an explosion come from?"

"Riley," Faith replied, "He used a grenade. He saved us all."

Kennedy came walking in, limping. She looked like she was going to pass out. She fainted, but luckily, Willow was there to catch her. Willow picked her up and carried her to the couch.

Cordy stumbled into the apartment. She had scratches and bruises all over her arms and face. Her clothes were stained with her own blood.

"This is why I should have stayed here," Cordy said, out of breath.

She collapsed on the floor due to her injuries. Wesley came in next, and picked Cordy up. He carried her into the second bedroom. Axel and Oz walked in after Wesley. They were both injured badly. Oz's wrist was obviously broken and Axel had a large cut down the side of his face.

Faith turned and walked out the door. She couldn't stand to be in the room anymore.

Downtown Haynesville:

Faith wandered, lonely and upset, down the streets. She had failed them all. She had gotten them all injured, but even worse, she had gotten Gunn and Riley killed. It wasn't supposed to go over like that. They weren't supposed to lose lives in the process of winning.

She felt horrible. Now she knew how Buffy must have felt after she had gotten the gang hurt after they went after Caleb. She couldn't go back to the apartment after what she had done. She had to leave.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was," Faith replied, not even turning, "I led them into battle, I got them hurt."

"There are always casualties in battle, Faith," Angel said, "You can't change that."

"Buffy put me in charge and I failed her."

"No you didn't. We won Faith. We may have greatly affected the outcome of this whole thing."

"That's not the point. I got everyone hurt and Gunn and Riley were killed."

"Riley sacrificed his life for you! He sacrificed his life so that you could win. And you are treating this like this is your fault! A general's job in war is to lead the troops and hope that they win, not to prevent them all from dying. You did more than that. You attempted to prevent them from dying."

Faith didn't answer. She just looked at Angel, waiting for him to continue.

"I believe in you, Faith," Angel said, "You tried your best tonight. And I know you can lead us to a victory in this."

"Thank you, Angel," Faith replied.

She embraced him in a hug. Tears flowed from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. Angel wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, making all her pain go away.


	21. Showdown: Episode 21

Showdown

Episode 21

The Hellmouth:

            "Good job!" Caleb exclaimed, "You lowered their morals, made them weak. Now we can go in for a follow-up attack, weaken them even more. This is our day of glory."

            The First, in the form of Caleb, was speaking to its Ubervamp army. There were more of the vicious vampires. No matter how many were killed, more would always take their place.

            "As soon as the slayer and her friends are destroyed, we will go after that goddess," Caleb went on, "I will make her pay for tricking me. Once she's out of the way, this world will be ours."

            Suddenly a powerful wave of energy swept through the Hellmouth. It swept through all the vampires. It was all absorbed into Caleb. He screamed in pain as all the energy flowed into him.

            Caleb's body exploded into blood and flesh. In his place stood a frightening-looking demon type thing. The demon was fairly large. It had large wings on its back and huge horns on its head. Its eyes glowed dark red.

            In the dark shadows of the basement, a familiar ghost stood, listening and watching. He stared in horror at what he saw happen. A chill ran through his body. He had to get to the others.

            "At last," it growled, "I am finally corporeal."

Downtown Haynesville:

            Spike and Xander had met up again. They both seemed to be enjoying their talks. Spike had just come from the Hellmouth, while Xander had come from Giles's.

            "You know," Spike said, "You aren't that bad mate."

            "It took you that long to figure it out," Xander replied, laughing.

            Spike smirked at the comment. He was beginning to like the boy.

            "You aren't so bad yourself," Xander added.

            "Oh bollocks!" Spike exclaimed, "I feel like I was back in the day with Angel."__

            "Well that's interesting," Xander replied, "How's that?"

_Paris__, __France__ 1883:_

_            "Did you see the look on her face when you killed her bloody husband?" William asked, "It was priceless."_

_            "That it was," Angelus replied._

_            Angelus and William were walking down the streets of __Paris__. They had just enjoyed a good kill of some woman and her husband. The man tried to protect his wife, but the two vampires killed both of them._

_            "It's so nice to have another man around," Angelus said._

_            "What do you mean, mate?" William questioned._

_            "I had been traveling around now for a while with just Darla and Drusilla," Angelus went on, "Traveling with just women. It gets boring. I needed another man around to enjoy the fun with. And now I have you around."_

_            William nodded at this comment. He had been in their little group for a couple of years now. He was quickly learning the life of a vampire. And he enjoyed it._

_            "I've never had a bloody friend before," William said, "No one really liked me as a human. The only one who did was my mother. But then she came on to me after I turned her and then I had to put a bloody stake through her heart."_

_            "Hmm…that's an interesting little tale of woe," Angelus replied, "My life as a human was no better than yours."_

_            "Let's here it, mate," William said._

_            "Well, I was a poor man, living in __Ireland__," Angelus began, "I was a drunk. Oh did I love to drink. I was mean to people when I was drunk, so no one enjoyed my company. My family even disowned me. That's when I met Darla and she sired me. After I became a vampire,  I killed my whole family. I got them back for what they did. Poor bastards."_

_            "That was a nice little after dinner story," William said._

_            Angelus just burst out laughing. In turn, William started laughing along with his Grandsire. The two vampires stopped laughing after a few moments and went on their way._

           "Well, that was really interesting," Xander said, after Spike had finished, "I never knew you and Angel to be buddies. Always thought you hated each other."

            "That was pre-soul Angel," Spike replied, "He was very different after he got a soul."

            "Come on," Xander said, "We should get back. I don't wanna be caught out here by either one of those armies."

Giles's Apartment:

            "The odds are against us!" Fred exclaimed, "There is no possible way that we can win!"

            "There's always a way," Giles said, "And we have always found it, no matter how hard it was."

            "Except this time, we are Buffy-less," Xander put in, "Buffy's always been the one to figure these things out. She had gotten us through every apocalypse."

            "This time, during the biggest battle, the greatest apocalypse, we don't have her here," Giles added.

            The door to Giles's apartment suddenly opened. A familiar face stepped in the door.

            "Hey!"

            Everyone turned their attention to the doorway. They smiled at what they saw.

            "Jake?" Giles questioned.

            "I'm back," he replied.

            "Hey Jake," Xander said, coming up to him, "Long time, no see. I haven't seen you in several months. As a matter of fact, not since we left that bus so long ago."

            "Yeah, it has been a while," Jake replied.

            The two men seemed to be ignoring everyone else. They just stood there in front of everyone, having a regular conversation.

            "Hey, remember when we chased those girls through the Bronze?" Xander asked.

            "Yeah," Jake replied, "And then those monks showed up and tried to kill us all."  
            "Good times, good times," Xander said.

            Giles cleared his throat very loudly. That caught both their attentions. They turned their heads in the direction of everyone else.

            "Whoa!" Jake exclaimed, "Is this like a vampire-slaying convention?"

            "Actually, more like the end-of-the-world convention," Faith said, stepping forward, "You look good, kid. Where have you been?"

            "Home," Jake replied.

            "Home?" Faith questioned.

            "Back in Erie," he answered.

            "Sorry to interrupt your little reunion, but we have a major apocalypse to deal with here," Wesley said, interrupting.

            "What kind?" Jake questioned.

            "Well, two huge armies are roaming around Haynesville, destroying everything in their paths," Giles answered.

            "And this is threatening the world, how?" Jake asked.

            "The two generals, or whatever you want to call them, are building up their forces little by little until they finally have enough power to defeat the other," Giles replied.

            "Sounds like fun," Jake said.

            "Oh it is," Xander said.

            "Oh will you two nerds just shut up already?" Cordy questioned, coming forward and wrapping her arms around Xander, "You two should stop fooling around. We need to be serious."

            "Who are you?" Jake asked.

            "Cordelia Chase," she replied, "But everyone calls me Cordy."

            "Nice to meet you," Jake said to her, "You must be Xander's new girl."

            "Yeah," she replied.

            "Oh bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed, "You stupid blokes need to stop messing around. We have two massive armies trashing this town, lead by two powerful evils. And Buffy is unconscious. Stop screwing around! Get back to work!"

            "I don't see you doing any work, ghost boy" Angel said, stepping forward.

            "Shut your bloody mouth, you ponce!" Spike snapped, "I've been doing more work than you all think."

            "And what would that be, Spike?" Angel asked, "You know, since you are a very helpful little ghost."

            "The First is corporeal," Spike said.

            "What?" Giles questioned.

            "What did he just say?" Faith questioned.

            "I saw it," Spike replied, "A wave of energy came out of nowhere and struck the First, in the form of that bloody preacher. The preacher started screaming and suddenly he exploded, blood and flesh went everywhere, and standing where the preacher once stood, was a huge demon with horns and wings."

            "I don't believe it," Wesley said, "Its not possible."

            "Oh but it is," Spike replied, "I can feel its power. I can feel both of their power. They are ready."

            "Ready for what?" Faith asked.

            "The showdown."

            "What showdown?" Xander questioned.

            "Between the two great forces of evil," Spike said, "The battle is coming. I can feel the power radiating off of them, they are ready to fight."

            "The final battle is beginning," Wesley said softly.

            "No you stupid git!" Spike yelled, frustrated, "The battle for who will have the privilege to rule this world."

            "Well, then I guess we still have a few days left to live," Xander added, trying to lighten the mood."

            There was a loud knock at the door. Everyone looked confused.

            "I'll get it!" Xander exclaimed, running to the door.

            "Be careful, Xander," Giles warned.     

            Xander turned the knob and cautiously opened the door. There in the doorway stood a group of young girls. Xander breathed a sigh of relief.           

            "Oh its only girl scouts," Xander reassured, turning back to the group.

            He then turned back to the girls.

            "Sorry," he replied, "We don't have time for cookies."

            The girls looked at him confused. Then one stepped forward.

            "Is there a Mr. Giles here?" the brunette-haired girl asked.

            "Yes, that would be me," Giles said, stepping forward, "Can I help you?"

            "We've been sent here by Mr. Robson to seek protection from you and the slayer," the girl informed.

            "Robson," Giles said quietly, "He's still alive."

            "Who are they?" Oz questioned, "They're just little girls."

            "They are potential slayers," Giles informed, "Girls who may one day be the slayer."

            Faith turned and headed towards the door. She swung it open and was just about to walk out when Giles cleared his throat.

            "Where are you going?" he questioned.

            "Going to rally the girls," Faith replied, "I'm sure they haven't had a workout in a while. Besides they need to be ready for anything."

            With that, Faith disappeared down the hallway. Angel turned and ran off after her.

"Welsey," Giles said, "Take Oz and Kennedy and go after them."

Oz, Wesley, and Kennedy followed. Giles stood and closed the door behind them.

            "Why are they leaving?" Cordy questioned, "I mean, come on. They know perfectly well what'll happen out there."

            "They'll be fine," Xander said, putting an arm around his girlfriend, "Faith knows what she's doing."

            "Girls," Giles said, "If you'd like, you can follow them. They are going to train."

            The group of new girls took off after Wesley, Kennedy, and Oz.

Haynesville Cemetery:

            "So what are we doing?" Danielle asked.

            "You girls are probably a little rusty," Faith began, "So we need to start up on your training."

            "What for?" Liz asked.

            "You're going to need to be ready for anything," Faith replied, "Especially with all that has been going on lately."

            "And what would that be?" Vi asked.

            "Well," Wesley interrupted, "As you may all know, the end of the world is upon us and…"

            "Shut up, Wes!" Faith shouted, "We're not trying to scare them."

            "What?" Julia questioned, "The end of the world."

            "No, its nothing," Faith said, "He was just kidding."

            The potential slayers all looked at her with puzzled stares. They had no idea what was going on and they desperately wanted to.

            "Have any of you new girls had any training, raise your hands?" Faith asked.

            All the girls raised their hands and Faith smiled with delight. It was gong to be easier than she thought.

            "I feel like a teacher," Faith whispered to Angel.

            Angel didn't pay any attention to her. He seemed distracted by something. It was like he was listening to something.

            "What's wrong?" Faith questioned.

            "Something's coming," he replied.

            "Vampires?" she asked.

            "I'm not sure," he said, "I can't tell."

            That's what Spike appeared in front of them. He didn't look to happy.

            "You stupid gits!" he scolded, "They're coming."

            "Who is coming?" Wesley asked, coming towards the three of them.

            "Who do you think?" Spike asked, "The First and The Goddess of Evil."

            "I can smell the vampires," Oz interrupted, stepping towards them, "They are close."

            "We need to get out of here," Wesley said, "We are all in very grave danger."

            "It's too late," Spike replied, "There is no time."

            "What'll we do?" Kennedy asked.

            "We'll take the girls and hide in the woods," Faith said, taking command, "Then we'll wait there until the battle is finished."

            "Let's go!" Angel called.

            Faith led everyone into the woods, where they just stood and waited. They were all very nervous.

            "What's going on?" Vi asked.

            "We'll see in a few moments," Angel replied.

            Suddenly, several hundred Ubervamps appeared on one side of the gang. Moments later, several hundred demons lined up on the other side. They looked ready for battle. But they were waiting for something.

            A large demon came walking up through the lines of Ubervamps. It was very large. It had huge horns on its head and wings on its back. It had huge claws and it was a dark reddish-orange color. It growled loudly at the demon army in front of it.

            "So, we meet again," a female voice said, "Figured you would have left town a while ago."

            A young woman appeared in front of the demon army. She was kind of short. She had long, straight, black hair and completely black eyes.

            "Someone's become corporeal," she said, "Now the fun really begins."

            The woman began to transform. She grew a few feet and horns sprouted from her head. Giant claws replaced her fingers and toes. Large wings grew from her back and a tail sprout from her behind. Her color changed to a dark black, like the color of her hair. Its form slightly resembled the First's.

            "You seem so confident," The First growled, "But you will not beat me. This earth is mine."

            "Its foolish of you to try and defeat your creator," The Goddess hissed, "You will fail."

            The First flapped his wings and rose into the air, above his army. He raised his arm up and then dropped it down quickly. His army of vampires charged at the demons. The Goddess flew above her army, as it charged at the vampires.

            The Goddess fluttered above her army, commanding the demons to crush the vampires. The First took this opportunity to take the offense. It quickly flew high up and then dove down at the Goddess. It knocked the Goddess to the ground, landing on a few of her soldiers.

            The First charged her again, knocking the Goddess off balance as she rose to her feet. Then it swung its massive claw, knocking the Goddess across the face. The Goddess growled in anger and jumped at the First. Both landed on the ground, making it shake.

            "What the hell is going on?" Liz questioned, from the woods.

            "It's the ultimate showdown," Faith replied, "Between the First and the Goddess of Evil."

            "You know, this isn't the best place I would have picked to hide," Spike said, appearing next to Faith, "It's only a matter of time before they get to the woods."

            While the armies were fighting, the First and the Goddess continued their fighting. The First lifted the Goddess over its head and tossed her through the air. The Goddess stopped herself and flew back towards the First, knocking it into the woods. The gang dove to the ground, ducking out of sight.

            The First opened its demon mouth wide and a blast of fire flew towards the Goddess. The fire turned into a cyclone and engulfed the Goddess. It followed up its attack by giving her a few punches and slashes. It finished her with one punch. She flew backwards into a crypt, causing it to cave in on top of her.

            The First bellowed, "Finish them!"

            The Turok-Han increased their onslaught against the bladed demons. The demons realized that they were outnumbered and began retreating. Their retreat started in the woods, where the gang was hiding.

            "Run," Faith whispered.

            Everyone took off in different directions, fleeing from the demons. The Turok-Han quickly followed, chasing the demons through the dark woods. Oddly enough, the vampires had the upper hand, even though the demons could slice the vampires quite easily.

            Faith ran through the woods, behind everyone else. She had to make sure all the others got away before she could go. She came across a stray Ubervamp. It growled loudly and charged her. It tackled her to the ground and proceeded to beat her senselessly. Faith was now bleeding from her face.

            Suddenly, the vampire was knocked off of her. She sat up and watched as Angel attacked the vampire. Angel definitely had the upper hand. He knocked the vampire around a bit before snapping its neck. The vampire exploded into a cloud of dust which blew away in the early summer breeze.

            Angel walked over and put his hand out for Faith. She took it and he helped her to her feet. The two turned and glanced back to where the battle was taking place.

            "We should get going," Angel said, "There's nothing for us here."

            "You're right," Faith replied, "We should catch up to the others."

Giles's Apartment:       

            "Are you all right, Faith?" Giles questioned.

            "I should be," she replied.

            "What happened?" Fred questioned, coming into the main room.

            "Big battle," Wesley replied.

            "Battle?" Giles questioned.

            "Yeah," Faith replied, "Huge battle between the First and the Goddess."

            "So the new potentials had a chance to train against Ubervamps?" Xander questioned, "Sounds cool."

            "Only it wasn't," Angel answered, coming out of Buffy's room, "Spike was right. The First is corporeal."

            "So now we have something else to worry about?" Fred asked.

            "Yup," Faith replied, "Not good."

            "Actually," Giles said, speaking up, "This might benefit us."

            "How so?" Xander questioned.

            "It leaves us with only one evil to fight, instead of two," he went on, "We'd have only one army to fight also."

            "And if we're lucky, the First will win," Xander said, "You know, since we beat its army once."

            "The odds are against it," Wesley told them, "The Goddess is the one that created the First. The odds of the First beating it's creator are not that high."

            "That makes me feel a whole lot better," Jake said, sarcastically, joining the others.

            "How are the girls doing?" Oz asked from the couch.

            "They seem to be doing all right," Faith replied, "Nothing happened to any of them while they were running. And the new ones seem to be getting along well with the others, which is good."

            "You should all get some rest," Giles told them, "We have a large battle coming up soon. We need all the rest we can get."

The Cemetery:

            "You didn't think you could beat me, did you?" she asked.

            The First was lying on the ground. The Goddess had her large foot on its back, pinning it down.

            "I am all-powerful," she said, "Nothing can stop me. Not even you, the First Evil."

            The First growled, trying to get up, but the Goddess had a powerful hold on it. The Goddess bent down and gripped the First by the neck. She squeezed tightly, digging her nails into its skin.

            "You put up a good fight, you know," she informed, "Nice try. But this is where it all ends. Goodbye."

            She took her other demon hand and shoved it down into the First's mouth. She reached down its throat. She shoved her demon hand down further and found its heart. She gripped it tightly and tore it out and up through its mouth.

            She held the heart loosely in her hands. The First glanced down at its black heart, before falling dead to the ground. The Goddess lifted it into the air and smirked.

            "This is it," she shouted, "I have beaten the First Evil. And soon I will rule this planet!"

            She brought the hand to her mouth. She tossed the heart in. She swallowed it. And as she did, a wave of energy flowed through her body.


	22. Awakening: Episode 22

Awakening

Episode 22

Giles's Apartment:

            "We've been at this for days," Xander said, "No one has found anything."

            "Calm down, Xander," Wesley insisted.

            "We have to keep looking until we find out who won the fight," Giles informed, "We must figure out who we are dealing with."

            "But Faith and the troops haven't come up with anything yet," Xander replied, "I mean, what are the chances of them finding anything now?"

            "He's right, Giles," Oz added, "This town isn't that large. If there was any corpse or anything left, it would have been found already."

            "See, told you so," Xander said.

The Cemetery:

            "Do you think we should have let Kennedy take the other girls out?" Faith questioned, "There's at least one threat still out there."

            "I'm sure they're fine," Angel assured.

            "Oh god," Faith said, "I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. And it is way too much to carry."

            "See, now you know what Buffy has gone through before," Angel told her.

            "I know, but I don't think Buffy ever had this much pressure before," Faith replied, "I mean, come on, this apocalypse seems like it's gonna be huge."

            "It will," Angel added, "But you're doing fine. You have nothing to worry about."

            "Kiss me," Faith said.

            "What?" Angel replied.

            "Please, kiss me," she repeated.

            Angel wrapped his arms around Faith. Faith did the same. Their lips met in a passionate kiss. Faith's hands roamed all over Angel's back and through his hair. She needed this. She needed sexual relief.

            Angel pushed against the door to a crypt. She roamed her hands all over his body. Then he began to kiss his way down to her neck. It was like heaven for the two of them. They hadn't been close to anyone for a long while now.

            Suddenly, the crypt door gave way and fell inwards. Faith landed on her back, Angel fell on top of her. They both started laughing hysterically. Faith put her hands above her head and stretched. She gasped at what she felt.

            Angel looked up and saw what she had touched. There was some kind of corpse there. But it was too hard to tell from his current position. He rolled off Faith and climbed to his feet. Then he helped her up. The two stared at the corpse for a moment.

            "We've been searching this whole damn town for the past week and it's been here all along!" Faith exclaimed.

            "But which corpse is it?" Angel asked.

            The demon corpse had two large horns on its head and wings on its back. There were three huge claws on her hand. It could have been either demon except for two major things. This demon did not have a tail and it was dark reddish-orange in color.

            "Looks like lady luck wasn't on our side this time," Faith said.

            "Unfortunately," Angel murmured, "We should get back and tell Giles."

Giles's Apartment:

            "I still this is pointless," Xander told everyone.  
            "Xander, just sit down," Cordy ordered, "You're getting no where with your argument."

            "Oh I guess you're right, Cordy," he said, giving in.

            Xander walked over and told a seat on the couch next to his girlfriend. Cordy smiled at him. He smiled back.

            "Thank you," Giles said to Cordy.

            Just then the door opened and Faith and Angel walked in. Faith closed the door behind her and the two walked into the middle of the room.

            "What's wrong?" Wesley questioned, lifting his head for the book in front of him.

            "We found it," Angel informed.

            "What did you find?" Fred asked, coming into the room.

            Fred had taken it upon herself to look after Buffy. She would occasionally check on her during the day. She'd also fix Buffy's blankets and pillows. She wanted to make sure that Buffy was very comfortable.

            "The corpse," Angel answered.

            "Told you," Giles whispered to Xander.

            "Where was it?" Wesley questioned.

            "It was in a crypt at the cemetery," Faith replied.

            "Interesting," Giles said, "It seems like whoever being won wanted to hide the evidence from us."  
            "Or maybe not," Fred interrupted, "Don't you think if they didn't want us to know, the corpse would have been burned?"

            "The science chick does have a point there, Giles," Oz said.

            "There's bad news though," Faith informed, "The victor was not who we hoped it would be."

            "Which means we are dealing with a whole new force that we've never come up against before," Giles concluded.

The Bedroom:

            Willow sat alone in the room. She had spent most of her time sitting in a small chair in the corner of the room. She always stared blankly at the bed, hoping that its occupant would awaken. But her waiting seemed like a waste.

            The witch was a mess. She had spoken to anyone since Buffy had gone catatonic. She had gone through so much in the past few years. And this had finally pushed her over the edge. She had lost everything. And now she had nothing left.

            Tears began to fall from the redhead's eyes. She covered her face with her hands.  Buffy was never going to wake up. There was no hope for her anymore. Nothing could make her normal again. Nothing could make her happy anymore.

            That's when she heard a small gasp. Her head shot up and she glanced in the direction of the bed. She saw it. The petite blond lying there had her eyes open. She had a smile on her face.

            "Willow," she said softly.

            "Oh my god!" Willow exclaimed, "Buffy!"

            Willow was out of the chair and sitting on the bed in the blink of an eye. She had her arms around the slayer. Tears of happiness were now sliding down her cheeks. A smile was on her face.

            "What happened, Willow?" Buffy asked.

            "I thought I lost you, Buffy," Willow said, "You've been a coma for like three weeks now."

            "What?"

            "Spike found you on the beach after Axel and Kennedy left you. We all thought you were dead. But Giles found a pulse. Oh Buffy, I'm so glad that you're all right."

            "Are you guys all okay?"

            "We suffered two casualties."

            "Who?" Buffy asked.

            "Riley and Gunn. Riley saved them all. But he and Gunn died in the process of saving."

            The door to the bedroom opened. Both Willow and Buffy turned their heads in that direction. Faith's head popped in. When she saw Buffy, her jaw dropped in shock.

            "Buffy?" she questioned, astonished.

            Buffy didn't reply. She just smiled at the younger slayer. Faith turned her head back to the main room.

            "Buffy's awake!" Faith yelled.

            She then walked into the room and embraced Buffy in a big hug. Buffy smiled once again.

            "Oh B," Faith began, "Everything's been so damn hard. I can't lead these guys into battle anymore. Oh god, it feels like I have the world on my shoulders. I can't do this anymore."

             "Faith, calm down," Buffy told her.

            In a few moments, everyone else appeared in the door. And one by one, they entered. They were all smiling. Giles stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his slayer. He was so happy to see her awake. His face was beaming.

            "So fill me in on everything," Buffy said.

            Giles broke off his embrace. He chuckled at her want to get back in the action.

            "We've had our hands full these past three weeks," he informed, "The First became corporeal a little while ago. I believe sometime last week, actually."  

            "It's corporeal now?" Buffy questioned, shocked.

            "It was corporeal," Faith replied, "It's dead now. The Goddess killed it."

            "So we have one great evil on our hands now," Buffy said.

            "Will someone please tell me what the bloody hell is going on around here?" Spike questioned, appearing in the middle of the room, "Why the hell is it raining…Buffy?

            Buffy smiled at the ghost vampire. He was still the same as she remembered. She hadn't really noticed him since he arrived in town with Angel and the gang. Spike stood there, unable to speak. He was too shocked to say anything.

            "What about raining?" Xander asked.

            Spike didn't say anything for a few moments. He was shocked and didn't hear what Xander had said.

            "Spike!" Xander shouted.

            "Oh…sorry…" Spike said, "It's raining fire right now."

            "That's not possible," Giles said.

            "He's not lying," Oz said, reentering the room.

            "Will someone tell me why it's raining fire?" Cordy asked, sticking her head into the room, "Oh hey Buffy. Good to see you up."

            "You know," Buffy said, "Maybe we should focus on the raining fire thing right now."

            "Right then," Giles said, "What is going on here?"

            "Oh bloody hell!" Spike yelled, "Can't any of you ponces see that this is the end?"

            Everyone stared at him like he was insane. No one said anything though.

            "Bloody hell!" he yelled, "I'm out of here!"

            And with that the ghost was gone. Just then Angel walked into the room. He smiled when he saw Buffy.

            "Oh it's about time he went away," Angel said, "I'm getting annoyed by him."

            Within a few minutes, everyone left the room. Giles, Faith, and Angel remained there with Buffy lying in bed.

            "So what's the plan?" Faith questioned.

            "Faith," Giles began, "I want you to go out and round up Kennedy and the potentials. Keep them safe."

            "Whoa, wait!" Buffy exclaimed, "What about me? I'm ready to take on this Goddess."

            She threw the covers off and jumped to her feet. She instantly collapsed back down on the bed. She smiled at her stupidity.

            "Guess I was wrong," she murmured.

            "No Buffy," Giles said, "You are much too weak to fight, let alone get out of bed. Let Faith handle it."

            "I got this one, B," Faith told her, "You rest up here. You can take over later."

            "Thanks Faith," Buffy said.

            "No problem," she replied.

            Faith disappeared out the door. The three of them could hear her opening the door and leaving the apartment.

            "Go with her," Giles said to Angel, "She may need your help."

            Angel nodded and headed out of the room. He took off after Faith. Only Giles and Buffy were left in the room.

            "How has she been doing?" Buffy questioned.

            "She's doing well."

            "I knew she would."

Downtown Haynesville:

            It seemed that Xander had been walking a lot lately. There wasn't really much he could do to help in this war besides get in the way. So that's why he had been walking around town. Last time, he'd been with Spike. This time it was Jake who'd gone with him. Both guys were oblivious to the fact that Buffy had awakened.

            "How was home?" Xander asked.

            "Pretty much the same as I left it a few years back," Jake replied, "You'd think something would change in two years."

            "Yeah," Xander said, "I experienced that. I left Sunnydale after graduation to discover myself. Never did, but that's a different story. But anyways, when I got back, everything was the same except my friends were in college."

            "Oh."

            "How were your parents?"

            "I'm not sure. I couldn't find them."

            "Where would they have been?"

            "Who knows? I haven't seen them in so long, not since I left to vacation in Sunnydale. I guess they assumed I was dead."

            "Yeah, my parents were like that," Xander told him.

            The two seemed to be enjoying their talk. It was much better than sitting in that large apartment with all those people fighting and arguing all the time. Plus, they were learning things about each other.

            "My parents kind of disappeared after I moved into an apartment with Anya," he informed, "And I never saw them afterwards. I'm not even sure if they were killed when the vampires took over Sunnydale a while back."

            "That's sad," Jake replied.

            "What ever happened with your relationship with Julia?" Xander asked.

            "I'm not sure," Jake answered, "We went out for a few months and then I left."

            "Did you tell her that you were coming back?"

            "I wasn't sure if I was," he answered, "And she still doesn't know that I am."

            "Do you think you should tell her?" Xander questioned.

            "No," Jake said, "I'm not staying. I'm leaving soon."

            "How come?"

            "I've had enough with this whole fighting evil thing," Jake replied, "I've been through so much and I've lost so much."

            "How so?"

            "I lost two girlfriends and a friend because of vampires and such: Dani, Sarah, and Cindy."

            "I didn't realize that you'd lost so much," Xander said.

            "Yeah, but you've probably lost a lot too. I mean, you've been doing this whole thing way longer than I have."

            "That's right. So where are you headed?"

            "I'm not exactly sure," he answered, "Maybe I'll travel the country. Sure I've seen Southern California and Southern Louisiana, but there's still so much out there."

            "Sounds like fun," Xander said, "Wish I could do the same, but I can't abandon my best friends now. They need me."

            "I understand and that's cool. I'm just sorry I can't stay and help. But you know, you guys seem to have everything under control."

            Xander laughed a bit at that one. Everything was far from under control.

            "Well Xander," Jake said, "I'd love to stay, but I've got to get going before things get any worse around here."

            Jake turned and began to head off into the darkness. Xander turned and looked as he walked off.

            "Hopefully I'll see you around," Jake said, turning back and waving.

            "Yeah," Xander called, "See you around!"

            Xander turned and began his walk back to the apartment, the walk back to reality. Unbeknownst to him, that was the last he would ever see of Jake. The two would never cross paths again.

The Swamps:

            "What are you doing here?" Faith questioned.

            She didn't turn around to face him. She knew who it was.

            "You might need help," Angel replied.

            "With what?" Faith asked, turning to face him.

            "That," he said, pointing over her shoulder.

            Faith turned and stared into the dark swamps. There she saw them, a fairly large group of Ubervamps. They were standing there, staring at her and Angel.

            "The survivors?" Faith questioned.

            "Probably," Angel replied.

            "We should take them out," she told him.

            "Not yet," he said, "We should get help. They are still strong."

            "Hey guys!"

            Faith and Angel spun around. Wesley, Oz, Kennedy, and Axel came walking into the clearing that the two stood. Kennedy started waving once the two turned to face them.

            "What's going on?" Wesley asked.

            "There are Turok-Han over there," Angel informed, "They must be the survivors from that battle."

            "Wait," Faith said, "Kennedy, where are the other girls?"

            "Oh, I took them back to the apartments and ran into Wesley and Oz as they were leaving," she replied.

            "Giles sent us after you as backup," Oz informed, "He wanted to make sure you two didn't get into any trouble."

            "Well you guys showed up just in time because we're going to finish these last few vampires off!" Faith exclaimed.

            Faith was glad that the others had showed up. She felt weird around Angel now. She had felt uncomfortable around him since earlier that day after their little 'encounter'. She didn't know what to do. Had she really fallen for Buffy's ex?

            "Come on!" she exclaimed, "Let's get them!"

Giles's Apartment:

            Buffy had regained some of her strength. She was able to get out of bed and move around the apartment. She was glad for that. She had gotten something to eat, which was also a plus. She'd been so hungry. She figured that Giles and the others probably couldn't feed her much while she'd been in the coma.

            "Buffy," Giles called, coming into the kitchen.

            Buffy spun to face him.

            "What's wrong?" she asked.

            "Nothing. Just this package arrived for you this afternoon," he told her, "I figured I should wait to give it to you until you got stronger."

            He handed her the package. The two of them turned and walked back into the main room. Buffy sat down, the package on her lap.

            "Buffy, I need to talk to you," Spike said, appearing out of no where.

            Both Buffy and Giles jumped. Spike had obviously scared them both to death.

            "Spike!" Giles shouted, "Don't ever do that again!"

            "Sorry mate," Spike apologized, "I need to talk to you though, Buffy."

            "Just wait until I open this package," she replied.

            She found the tape holding the box closed and tore it off the top. She carefully opened the flaps, just in case something jumped out at her. She glanced down to see what was inside.

            A small orb sat in the middle of packing peanuts. It was pale blue in color. It was perfectly shaped. Buffy seemed drawn to it, while Giles was intrigued by it. She reached down and picked it out of the box. Giles noticed a note underneath the orb and read it aloud.

            _Dear Slayer,_

                        _This will help you restore the champion. Also, try using it against her. Your welcome!_

_                                                                                                Signed,_

_                                                                                                     A Friend_

            "Champion?" Buffy questioned, confused.

            Suddenly, the orb glowed with a bright blue light. A wave of energy shot off of it and lit up the entire room. Buffy and Giles had to shield their eyes because it was so bright.

            Within a few moments, the light had faded and the orb stopped glowing. Buffy dropped it back into the box and pushed the flaps closed. She shoved the box away. It had obviously frightened her.

            "Bloody hell!" Spike shouted, "Stupid bugger blinded me!"

            Buffy glanced towards him. He was rubbing his eyes, trying to see again. He was also stumbling around like a blind man. He bumped into a table and stumbled forward before hitting the ground.

            "Spike?" she questioned.

            "What is it, luv?" Spike asked, finally able to see again.

            "Y-you're c-corporeal," she said.

            "What?" Spike asked, confused.

            He had no idea that he had just ran into a table. He was too busy trying to see again to realize that he was no longer a ghost. He reached over and touched the table which he had bumped into.

            With that, he rose to his feet and began dancing around the room. He started shouting with joy and singing. He was loud enough to disturb the others and drew them into the room.

The Swamps:

            Angel and Faith were back-to-back. They were having some trouble taking out the vampires. Both of them had cuts and bruises on their arms and faces. It was obvious that the Turok-Han had the upper hand.

            "Why did we come out here without weapons?" Faith questioned.

            "Our mission wasn't to fight," Angel replied, "It was to round up the girls."

            Angel gave the closest vampire a quick jab to the face. The vampire punched back, knocking him to the ground. Two vampires jumped at him, pummeling him into the ground. Faith came up and kicked one away. She proceeded to beat the vampire until she was finally able to snap its neck.

            Angel rose to his feet. He shoved the remaining vampire away and then charged it, knocking it into the swamps. Angel reached up and broke a large branch off of a nearby tree. He slammed it down into the heart of the Ubervamp.

            "You'd think they'd be weaker without a leader," Faith said, dodging a blow, "But they're just as strong as before."

            The vampire punched her. She punched back then followed up with a quick front kick to the face. The vampire fell on its back. Faith bent down and snapped its neck. It exploded into dust instantly.

            Wesley had a cross bow and was firing bolts this way and that. He had great aim too. Most of the bolts hit their target, dusting them. Unfortunately, a vampire tackled him to the ground, knocking the crossbow from his grip. It went tumbling to the ground. Oz saw this and rushed over to help.

            The vampire had Wesley pinned to the ground. It was about to move in for the kill. Oz began beating it over the head with his mace. He didn't stop until the vampire turned to dust. Then he helped Wesley to his feet. The two looked around to observe how everyone was doing.

            There was one vampire left and it was all Faith's. She began kicking it around a bit. She then gave it a roundhouse kick, causing its jaw to snap. The vampire growled in anger and punched her back, in the face. Faith gasped in pain as the vampire hit her again. Angel decided now would be a good time to help out. He grasped the broken branch and charged the Ubervamp, ramming it right through it heart.

            "That was some evening workout, huh?" Faith said, out of breath, "Now I'm hungry."

Giles's Apartment:

            Buffy sat, alone, in the room that she had spent the last few weeks in. She was thinking about everything. But mainly, she'd been thinking of the blue cube that a 'friend' had sent to her in the mail. She wanted to know who this person was and she wanted to know why it had turned Spike corporeal again. That's when the door opened.

            "Buffy?" Spike questioned, coming in the room, "Can we talk?"

            "About what?" she asked.

            "About me," he replied.

            "Sure."

            "According to Angel, I returned only a few weeks after the battle in Sunnydale. That amulet was mailed to Angel for some odd reason that I don't know. Anyways luv, I wanted to tell you that I was back, I really did. But the more I thought about it, the more that I realized I couldn't."

            "And why's that?"

            "I realized that the whole saving-the-world thing wouldn't mean anything to you anymore. I figured that if I came to find you that my sacrificing myself to save the world wouldn't be worth anything; that it wouldn't matter anymore."

            "Spike."

            "Yes, luv?"

            "I missed you so much. I dreamt about you after your death. I care about you, Spike. I really do."

            "What are you trying to say, slayer…Buffy?"

            "I'm not sure. But I know that you are in my heart, Spike."

            "I know it wasn't true."

            "What wasn't?"

            "What you said back there, in that cavern."

            "I don't know what it was. I was caught up in the moment, I guess. And I thought I loved you, after you were gone. But then I fell for some cheap trick of the Goddess. Maybe it was love, but it isn't there anymore."

            Spike looked hurt. It seemed as if he would burst into tears at any moment. He wanted to, but he couldn't in front of her."

            "Spike…" Buffy began, "I just want you to know that you will always be in my heart. And maybe someday, something may happen between us. But it can't now. You and I both know that. Maybe after the world doesn't end something will happen, but not now."


	23. Preparations: Episode 23

Preparations

Episode 23

The Cemetery:

            Buffy was at full strength now. She had completely recovered from her time in the coma. And she was ready to kick butt. She wanted to make the goddess pay for what she put her and her friends through. The time for the final battle was closing in.

            Giles had finally let her go out. He had been hesitant at first, but the others convinced him that she needed to go get some training in before the battle. But Buffy had no intention to go out and train. She wanted to find out information about that orb. She had to know what it could be used for.

            She wandered around the cemetery, searching for any clues. She figured that the last time something mysterious had come her way she had discovered information about it in the cemetery. So it was worth a shot.

            As she walked, she began thinking about how she would have to prepare her small army for this battle. She wondered how she'd do it. It wasn't like she usually prepared. Last time, she had run away and returned just in time to take the gang into battle. They hadn't even planned anything. She had just come up with the idea of going into the Hellmouth on her own. This time, she didn't even know how to find the goddess.

            It was quiet tonight. There was no activity at all throughout the entire cemetery. Buffy was kind of disappointed. She had kind of hoped to run into a vampire. She hadn't slain any in a long time. She walked along, glancing around. She noticed a church at the back of the cemetery.

            That's when she saw something. There was something standing near the gates surrounding the church. When it saw Buffy glancing its way, it took off towards the church, dashing inside. Buffy immediately took off after it. She was going to have a little fun now.

Giles's Apartment:

            "Has anyone found anything yet?" Giles questioned, coming back into the living room.

            "Not yet," Willow called from the computer, "I'm not quite sure what I'm even looking for."

            "Look for something that looks like this," Giles said, holding the orb in his hands.

            "Don't you think that's a little dangerous?" Xander questioned, taking it from Giles with gloves, "We don't want to lose you now."

            "Its fine, Xander," he replied, "Buffy has touched it and I have been studying it. It doesn't seem to be of any danger."

            "Wait a minute!" Cordy said, "You told us that some light shot out and made Spike corporeal and now you're saying it isn't dangerous. It definitely has mystical powers that shouldn't be toyed with."

            "She does have a point, Giles," Willow agreed, "We shouldn't mess with it until we are sure of what it does."

            "I wasn't messing," Giles argued.

            Just then the apartment door opened. Everyone turned their heads to see who it was. Faith and Angel walked in, followed by Kennedy, Oz, Wesley, and Axel. They seemed to be injured in some way.

            "Are you all alright?" Giles questioned.

            "Yeah, we'll be fine," Faith replied, "Just had a little run in with the remaining Ubervamps."

            "It seemed like they still had their malice even with their master dead," Wesley informed, "It wasn't a very pretty sight."

            "They almost beat us, Giles," Oz informed.

            "But we held it together and we finished them off," Faith finished.

            "So the threat of the First Evil is completely gone?" Xander questioned.

            "As far as we know," Giles answered, "I don't see how it could still be alive."

            "Well you never know," Willow added, "This is a Hellmouth."

            "And strange things do happen here," Xander finished.

            Angel had kind of snuck off alone. He wanted to talk to Buffy, so he snuck into her room to see how she was doing. He carefully opened the door so as not to draw attention to himself.

            He walked in and flipped the light on. He saw Buffy's form, lying under the covers. Sitting down on the bed, he began rubbing her side.

            "Buffy," he whispered.

            He continued rubbing her side, very gently, trying to wake her up. She moved a bit and then turned to face him. Angel gasped.

            "Angel?"

            "Fred?" Angel questioned, jumping up from the bed.

            "What are you doing?"

            "Sorry, I thought you were Buffy."

            "It's okay. I figured since Buffy wasn't using the bed anymore that I could take a little snooze."

            "Where is Buffy then?"

            "I think Giles let her go out to train. She's probably at the cemetery."

            "Thanks Fred," he said, "I'll be back later."

A Church:

            Buffy cautiously entered the church. She was ready for anything. Luckily, whatever it was had come in here instead of running out into town and harming someone. In here, she could finish it off quick and easy.

            She walked out of a hallway and into the sanctuary. She glanced up towards the pulpit and saw the shadowy figure, staring at the stain glass mirror. She crept up the center aisle of pews towards the front.

            "I've been waiting for you, slayer," the figure said.

            "Who are you?" Buffy questioned, stepping closer to the figure.

            "Your prom date," he replied.

            "You!" Buffy exclaimed, "Whistler!"

            "That's right," he said, "The immortal demon sent down to earth to even the score between good and evil."

            "What are you doing here?" Buffy questioned, annoyed.

            "I guess you received the present."

            "That was from you?"

            "Not really from me. It's from the Powers. They realized that they had made a mistake sending the goddess to earth in the form of Spike. They want to make it up to you."

            "That was their fault?"

            "She took the form of the vampire and tricked the Powers. They sent her to earth, making her corporeal. So yes, it was their fault. But they sent you that orb to help you defeat her."

            "What does it do?"

            "Well first of all, it made the champion corporeal again."

            "Spike?"

            "That's right."

            "He's a champion?"

            "He saved the world, didn't he?"

            "But so did Angel."

            "Spike also sought out his soul, while Angel was cursed with one. There's a big difference there and the Powers keep note of that."

            "I see."

            "Spike is closer to fulfilling the Shanshu Prophecy than Angel even though he only saved the world once."

            "But why?"

            "Spike loved without a soul. He aided you and your friends without a soul. He fought with you against the hell god to help, not for personal gain. He truly is the champion."

            "Guess you shouldn't tell Angel that then. You know, he's been working pretty hard for this prophecy thing. He's gonna be disappointed."

            "The Powers that Be have a plan for Angel."

            "What is it?"

            "That, I don't know."

            "Wait…what else does this orb thing do?"

            "I was waiting for you to ask. The cube is full of powerful energy. It was sent to you to destroy the strongest creature to ever walk the earth. It is the slayer's ultimate weapon. It fuses the slayer, you, with a power beyond imagination."

            "How do I make it work?"

            "You'll have to figure that one out on your own because I haven't a clue. They don't tell me everything."

            "Anything else that I need to know?"

            "This could be the end."

            "Well thanks."

            "I was being serious. The orb has the potential to destroy the world."

            "Then why did they send it to me?"

            "They have no other choice in the matter. It's either let everything get destroyed or just this world."

            "But that isn't fair!"

            "When are you going to learn, Buffy? Not everything here is fair. It is your choice though. The Powers that Be know that you will make the right decision."

            Whistler turned and began walking towards a door on the side. He turned back to her and smiled.

            "Good luck kiddo!" he called, "You'll need it!"

            And with that he was gone. Buffy was left standing there, trying to sort out everything that she had just discovered. She had no idea what to do. Could she actually destroy the thing that she was sworn to protect in order to save the rest of existence?

Downtown Haynesville:

            Buffy walked through the streets. She couldn't decide what to do. But she realized that she had to do what the Powers that Be wanted. She couldn't be selfish or could she? This was the toughest decision that she'd ever have to make.

            "Buffy!" someone called, "Wait up!"

            She'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was the guy that she had loved before and would always love forever.

            "Angel," she said.

            She spun around and looked back down the way she had come. There he stood, dressed in a black leather jacket. It was slightly open, blowing in the warm night breeze. He caught up to her within a few moments.

            "Where have you been?" he asked.

            "I've just been out and about. You know, just seeing if anything changed while I was in a coma," she replied.

            "Have a nice conversation with Whistler?" he asked.

            "You were spying on me?"

            "Not spying. I saw you walk into that church after a shadowy figure. Figured it was some demon and that you'd need help."

            "Why didn't you come out of the shadows?"

            "Didn't want to. I just wanted to listen."

            "Oh."

            "So you have a choice to make…what's it going to be?"

            "I don't know!" she shouted, "This is all so hard! I can't do this!"

            "No one said it would be easy. I mean, come on you have to decide if you want to destroy the world."

            "My conscious says that I should go for it, but there's that one little part that's saying that there might be some other way."

            "There may be."

            "Wait a minute!"

            "Hmm?"

            "Whistler said it had the potential to destroy the world, not that it definitely would. So maybe there still is a chance for the world."

            "We won't know until we try," Angel replied.

Giles's Apartment:

            "So what's the plan, B?" Faith questioned.

            "I'm not exactly sure of all the details right now," Buffy answered.

            Buffy had gathered a few of her friends into Giles's kitchen. They were discussing their plan of action for this large battle. Buffy stood, addressing Faith, Giles, Willow, Xander, Angel, and Spike.

            "Giles, what information have you guys gathered?" Buffy asked.

            "Well, the Goddess's power has been channeling through the Hellmouth. She will unleash hell on earth through the Seal of Danthalzar in the center of town," he informed.

            "We're guessing that we should battle her near the seal since it's giving her power," Willow added.

            "Okay so the battle will be at the Hellmouth," Buffy concluded, "What else?"

            "Everyone here is willing to fight," Xander told her.

            "Even Cordy?" Buffy questioned.

            "Yes, even Cordy," he replied.

            "We didn't find out anything about the orb yet," Giles informed.

            "That's okay," she told him, "I did."

            "What did you discover?" he asked.

            "It's some sort of gift for the Powers that Be to me," she began, "Its their way to get me to forgive them for allowing this goddess to become a threat. It's supposed to fuse me with unimaginable powers."

            "And how did you figure this out?" Giles asked.

            "A messenger," she replied, "From the Powers that Be."

            "A messenger?" Spike questioned, "You mean one of those immortal demony guys?"

            "Yes," Buffy answered.

            "And how do you know you can trust him?" Giles asked.

            "He's an old friend," Angel interrupted.

            "And his information can be trusted?" Giles questioned.

            "Yes," Angel replied.

            "Okay we need to start planning battle strategies!" Faith exclaimed.

            "Oh I hope that bitch doesn't sick those slice-n-dice demons on us again," Spike interrupted, "Now that I'm corporeal, I don't need to face demons that could slice my bloody head clean off."

            "There's been no trace of the demons for a little while now. I haven't seen any since the battle," Angel informed, "I've been patrolling throughout town on a nightly basis."

            "Okay so that means we'll only be up against the Goddess herself," Buffy concluded, "As far as we know anyways. But we need to be prepared for anything."

            "She's right," Faith agreed, "She probably has plenty of things to throw at us."

            "We've forgotten about something though," Giles informed.

            "What's that?" Willow asked.

            "The Gathering," Giles replied, "The Goddess will most likely call upon the aid of all the demons and vampires that she's called upon over the past few months."

            "Looks like we got ourselves a handful," Xander said.

            "Okay, here's the deal," Buffy began, "We need to muster up as many weapons as we can possibly find. Everyone needs to be loaded up with as many weapons as possible, including the potentials."

            "Are you sure you want to risk their lives?" Fred asked.

            "It's better to risk their lives and win, then to have them sitting around while we lose," Buffy replied.

            "I'll go round up the girls," Faith said.

            "Giles, where's that org?" Buffy questioned.

           "Right here Buffy," he replied, picking the orb off the table and handing it to her. Buffy slid it carefully into her pocket.

            "Is everyone ready?" Buffy questioned.

            "Ready as we'll ever be, Buff," Xander said.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Buffy walked down the street towards the Hellmouth. She remembered exactly where it was. It was the place where she had lived for a few months. She came up to the building. It had been condemned because of the damage that the Ubervamps and those other demons had done to it. Plus the building split before too.

            She walked up to the yellow police tape surrounding the property and tore it off. She walked into the building and up to the giant crack in the floor. She glanced down and saw the opening to the Hellmouth. The seal was no longer covering the hole, it was open now. Faith came walking up beside Buffy.

            "Well now that doesn't look to good," Faith said.

            Buffy turned around and faced her troops.

            "I know that we aren't much," she began, "But I have faith in you all. I know we can do this if we try."

            Buffy turned and stepped closer to the crack.

            "What are you doing, B?" Faith questioned.

            "I'll be back," Buffy replied and jumped down to the basement.

            "Buffy!" Spike shouted.

            "Stay there," she told him, "I promise, I'll be right back."

            She walked closer to the hole in the ground. She peered down into it. She could feel the evil radiating off of it. It was a powerful evil, more powerful than the last time she'd been near the opening to a Hellmouth.

            "I know you're down there!" Buffy called, "Come on out!"

            There was silence. The rest of the gang looked at her like she was crazy. They had no idea what she was doing.

            "Don't make me come down there!" Buffy called.

            "Or what, you'll kick my ass?" someone questioned, "I highly doubt that."

            A column of dark energy shot up out of the Hellmouth and into the sky. Out of the column stepped a young woman. Buffy had seen her before. This was the form that the goddess had used the first time they had met. Like last time, Buffy could feel the evil radiating off of her.

            "Hello Buffy," she said, stepping closer to the slayer, "I haven't seen you in so long."

            "I was out of commission for a little while, but I'm back now," Buffy replied.

            "You know, I seem to recall that," the Goddess replied, "I think it was my army that took you out. That's right, it was!"

            "Well I don't see your army here now," Buffy said.

            "They were destroyed in that little skirmish with the First Evil," the Goddess informed, "But I don't need them, I have others."

            The Goddess pointed upwards. Buffy looked in the direction that he finger was pointing. She saw her friends locked in combat with all kinds of demons and vampires. She didn't panic though. It was nothing that they couldn't handle.

            "A lot wimpier than your last army, don't you think?" Buffy questioned, chuckling.

            "What you don't know is that there is an unlimited supply of demons and vampires," the Goddess informed, "All evil creatures throughout this world and others are traveling here to aid me in bringing Hell to earth."

            "And you'll fail!" Buffy shouted.

            "Who's to stop me?" the Goddess questioned.

            "Me."


	24. Sacrifices: Episode 24, Part I

Sacrifices

Episode 24 (Part I)

The Entrance to the Hellmouth:

            "All evil creatures throughout this world and others are traveling here to aid me in bringing Hell to earth," the Goddess informed.

            "You will fail!" Buffy shouted.

            "Who's to stop me?" the Goddess questioned.

            "Me."

            The Goddess laughed loudly and obnoxiously. Then she smirked at her.

            "You expect to stop me?" the Goddess asked, "You and your weak band of friends: two vampires, a witch, several humans, and several girls who could eventually be slayers?"

            "That's right."

            "I'd love to see you try," the Goddess laughed.

            Buffy reached for the sword on her back. She drew it quickly and shoved it forward, stopping millimeters from the Goddess's face. The Goddess smirked.

            "So, you'd attack an unarmed woman," she said.

            "You're not unarmed," Buffy replied.

            A sword formed in the Goddess's hand. Its blade was curved and looked very sharp.

            "You're right," she replied, clashing hers against Buffy's.

            Buffy countered, stabbing the sword forward, towards the Goddess's stomach. The sword slid in cleanly. But she knew it wasn't over this soon.

            "Oh, you got me," the Goddess said.

            Buffy pulled the sword out and swung it at her head. The Goddess ducked and clashed hers against Buffy's once again. She was forcing Buffy backwards to the wall of the basement.

            Buffy's back was against the wall now. She was trapped. But she kept calm.

            "I have you right where I want you," the Goddess said, "I knew this would be easy, but I didn't think this easy."

            She brought the sword back and stabbed it forward, towards Buffy's head. Buffy ducked, the sword missed her by just mere seconds. Buffy swept her leg under the Goddess's, causing her to fall.

            Buffy held her sword high and stabbed the Goddess in the chest. The Goddess smirked. She grabbed Buffy by the wrist and tossed her across the basement. Buffy landed on her back in the dirt. The Goddess rose to her feet, pulling the sword out of her.

            "You can't kill me bitch," she said, "I'm a god!"

            Buffy slowly stood up. She noticed that the Goddess held both swords now. Buffy realized she was in trouble now, she was weapon-less.

            "Someone's in trouble now," the Goddess informed.

            She charged Buffy, slashing both swords wildly. Buffy dodged as best she could. She finally got a break and jump kicked the Goddess backwards, sending both swords flying. Buffy caught one and the other hit the ground.

            As the Goddess reclaimed her weapon, Buffy inspected herself for any serious injuries. Blood was dripping from wounds all over her body. They were minor though.

            "You think you're some big, tough, immortal goddess!" Buffy exclaimed, "Well let me tell you something. I won't back down from you Goddess! I've come up against many things in my time as a slayer and I've never back down. I won't start now!"

            "You're quite strong. I figure since you won't be alive for long, you're worthy enough for me to tell you my name," the Goddess informed.

            "You have a name?" Buffy questioned, clashing her sword against the other.

            "Jasmine," she informed.

            "Where'd you get that name?" Buffy asked, blocking an attack, "It's so tacky."

            "When I first came to this dimension, I could feel the presence of a powerful, evil being," Jasmine replied, "Her name was Jasmine and she took away all pain and evil from the world. But she was killed. So I decided to take her name so she wouldn't leave with the reputation she had."

            "Wow, what an interesting story," Buffy said sarcastically, "It almost put me to sleep."

            "Enough!" Jasmine shouted, "I've kept you alive too long."

            She charged Buffy once again.

Downtown Haynesville:

            Angel was leading the gang in battle with all sorts of demons and vampires. They were fairing pretty well actually. Angel was impressed by everyone's performance.

            "Where's Buffy?" Spike asked, coming up to Angel.

            "I don't know," he replied.

            "Is she still down there?" Spike questioned.

            "I'm not sure," Angel answered.

            The two rushed to the edge of the building. They looked down and watched as Buffy and the Goddess were drawn in combat. Neither had a clear advantage and Buffy seemed to doing well.

            "She looks fine," Angel said.

            "Yeah."

            "But keep an eye on her," he informed, "The minute something happens, get down there."

            "Right."

            Angel dashed off to help Cordelia, who seemed to be having a little trouble fighting two vampires. Spike lunged at a large demon with one horn upon its head. He knocked the demon to the ground and began pummeling it.

            The demon tossed Spike off and charged him. Its horn was pointed right for Spike's heart. Spike grabbed the horn and shoved the demon backwards. Unfortunately, a vampire jumped on Spike's back, distracting him from the battle with the demon.

            "What the bloody hell!" Spike shouted, tossing the vampire to the ground, "Can't you see I'm busy."

            He pulled out a stake and shoved it down into the vampire's heart. It exploded in a cloud of dust. Suddenly, he was knocked to the ground, his face in the dirt.

            "All right bloke," he said, "It's just you and me."

            The demon charged him again, aiming its horn for his heart. Spike stepped aside and stuck his foot out. The demon tripped and fell to the ground. The horn busted off.

            "Uh oh," Spike said, "There's goes your precious horn. What are you gonna do now?"

            The demon stood up and rammed Spike backwards into a broken wall. It shattered on impact, sending pieces of stone everywhere. The demon charged through what was left of the wall. It then proceeded to kick Spike in the ribs.

            Spike had had enough and rolled out of the way. He stood up and kicked the demon backwards. As it stumbled, Spike charged forward, shoving his stake into the demon's chest and puncturing its heart.

            The demon howled in pain and smacked Spike away. It pulled the stake out and looked down at the bloody hole in its chest. Without warning, it fell to the ground dead.

            "Bloke thought he could mess with me," Spike said.

The Entrance to the Hellmouth:

            "You're boring me," Buffy told her, "I thought you were supposed to be all-powerful."

            She brought her sword up to block another attack from Jasmine.

            "You're awfully talkative for one who is about to die," said Jasmine.

            She swung her blade again. Buffy ducked and countered with an attack of her own. Jasmine blocked it easily.

            "You keep saying that, but I'm still here fighting," Buffy replied.

            "I'm just warming up," Jasmine said, "Its part of my plan."

            "Oh a plan," Buffy said sarcastically, "How exciting."

            Jasmine ran at Buffy, sword raised. Buffy was startled to see how fast she moved. It was like one minute she was several feet away and the next she was right there in front of her. Jasmine swung her blade, slashing Buffy's left away.

            "No catchy comeback?" Jasmine asked, "Scared yet?"

            She swung her sword again. The sword moved faster than Buffy could see. The next thing she knew, she had a large gash on her stomach. Buffy swung her blade, but Jasmine stepped backwards, dodging the blade easily. The swing caused sharp pain in her stomach wound.

            "I finally shut you up slayer," Jasmine said.

            She swung the blade, cutting Buffy's wrist. Buffy's sword flew through the air and landed on the ground several feet away. A look of panic crossed Buffy's face.

            "This makes it all the more easier," Jasmine said.

            She punched Buffy across the face. Buffy stumbled backwards. Jasmine followed with two more blows to the face. She was too fast for Buffy. She moved like lightning. Buffy didn't see her until it was too late.

            Jasmine kicked Buffy in the chest, knocking her to her butt. Buffy winced in pain as she hit the ground. The next thing she knew, Jasmine was kicking her in her side. Buffy gasped in pain as she heard some ribs break. Jasmine kicked her again. This time Buffy caught her foot and flipped her.

            Jasmine landed on the ground. Buffy quickly rose to her feet and followed up her attack. Unfortunately, Jasmine was on her feet, holding her sword. She swung it at Buffy. Buffy jumped back, the blade lightly slashing her stomach again. Jasmine kept attacking.

            Soon enough, Jasmine had Buffy backed against the wall of the basement again. She smirked as she prepared to finish Buffy. She punched Buffy a couple times in the face. Blood was now dripping down the slayer's face. She was tiring quickly now.

            "Your friends," Jasmine began, "I wonder how they're doing against the onslaught of vampires and demons. I'm sure they could use a little break. I have a way that could help them rest up a bit."

            Jasmine dropped her sword. She brought her hands together. As she did this, they were engulfed in black flames. Buffy watched on, very confused. Seconds later, her hands were completely together and Buffy and her friends disappeared. The Goddess and the vampires and demons disappeared as well. The potentials were the only ones left. They were completely baffled. They hadn't a clue to where everyone had gone or what had happened.

Unknown Location:

            "Where am I?" Willow asked, suddenly appearing in the middle of a cemetery.

            The cemetery appeared familiar, like she'd been there before. Glancing around, she noticed some of the major tombs and mausoleums. That's when it hit her! She was back in the Sunnydale cemetery. But that was impossible! Sunnydale had collapsed last year. This couldn't be.

           She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She nearly jumped a foot in the air. She turned around slowly to face her attacker. But it wasn't what she expected.

            "Geez Wesley," Willow said, "You scared me half to death."

            "I'm sorry about that Willow," he replied.

            "It's okay," she said, "But where are we?"

            "It seems like we're in a cemetery, babycakes," Lorne said, coming up from behind Wesley.

            "Lorne, what are you doing here?" Wesley questioned.

            "I'm not sure," he replied, "But my guess is the same reason why you both are here."

            "This is really weird," Willow said, "One minute we're fighting off vampires and demons in Louisiana and the next we're in a cemetery in a supposedly collapsed town."

            The three of them started to walk through the graveyard. They needed to find answers and they sure weren't going to find them in the graveyard. They decided to walk into town and find someone to question. It was the only thing they could do. Within a short while, they arrived at the cemetery gates. Wesley attempted to pull them open but his effort proved futile.

            "Having some trouble?" someone asked.

            The voice had come from behind them. They spun around at the same time and came face-to-face to a familiar vampire.

            "This isn't possible," Willow stuttered, "You're dead."

            "Well obviously, I am a vampire," the Master replied.

            The vampire grabbed Willow by the neck and tossed her through the air. She landed on her back in the grass. He turned on Wesley next. He punched Wesley a few times, but Wesley punched back. The ex-watcher wasn't about to take crap from this vampire.

            "Wesley, watch out!" Willow called, slowly standing up, "That's no ordinary vampire."

            "What do you mean?" he replied.

            The vampire punched Wesley in the face a few more times before knocking him down. Blood dripped from that man's nose.

            "They call me the Master," the vampire told him.

            He picked Wesley up off the ground.

            "Come on Watcher, fight me like a man!" the vampire exclaimed.

            "I'm not a Watcher!" Wesley shouted, knocking the vampire across the face.

            The Master stumbled backwards. Lorne took this opportunity to attack. He jumped on the vampire's back, attempting to tackle him to the ground. Wesley stepped back, allowing Lorne to take over. Willow walked over to Wesley. She looked concerned.

            "We need to be careful, Wes," Willow told him, "This is the vampire that killed Buffy."

            The Master reached up and grabbed Lorne's head. He pulled and flipped Lorne to the ground. Lorne landed on his back and the vampire stepped on his chest to keep him from moving.

            "Foolish demon, what business do you have with these humans?" The Master questioned.

            "They are my friends," he replied, trying to get up.

            "Demons do not befriend humans!" the Master shouted angrily, "You are pitiful!"

            He reached down and grabbed Lorne's head with both hands. He tightened his grip and then flipped his wrists, cracking Lorne's neck. The green, horned demon was dead.

            "Lorne!" Wesley shouted, "You killed him, you bastard."

            Wesley charged the vampire. He was furious. He tackled the vampire, knocking him to the ground. The Master easily tossed Wesley off and rose to his feet. Wesley stood up too. He attacked the vampire once again, punching and kicking furiously.

            The Master blocked every one of Wesley's attacks. He was getting bored very quickly and Wesley was only getting on his nerves. He grabbed Wesley by the neck and lifted him straight into the air.

            "You humans and your attempts at vengeance," the Master said, "It's so pathetic."

            He pulled Wesley back down and bared his fangs. He sunk them into the man's neck, drinking quickly. Willow watched on in horror as the Master continued to suck the life out of Wesley. She couldn't believe it. She had just let two friends die. And now she would be next.

            "Poor little girl," the Master said, tossing Wesley's body aside, "You look so frightened."

            He slowly walked towards Willow, taunting her. There was nothing she could do but stare on in horror as the vicious vampire drew closer. The Master was now within reach of the witch. Unfortunately, she was too terrified to protect herself with spells. She couldn't concentrate long enough to do one.

            The Master reached out and grabbed Willow by the neck. He pulled her in close and bared his fangs once again. He sunk them into her neck. The slight pain caused her to gasp. The vampire then began licking the blood out of her body. Everything began to get black.

            "I'm sorry," Willow said to no one in particular.

            And with her last breath, her eyes closed forever. She was dead.

Unknown Location:

            Oz looked around. He wasn't in the streets of Haynesville anymore. He was somewhere else. One minute he was fighting vampires and demons and the next, he's in the sewers somewhere. It was really weird. Glancing around, he noticed something coming towards him.

            This thing looked like some hybrid between a demon and a machine. It freaked him out a lot. He had never seen anything like it before.

            "Welcome," the demon/machine said, "My name is Adam."

            "What the hell are you?" Oz questioned.

            "I am part machine and part demon. Well actually I'm made of parts from a bunch of different demons," Adam replied.

            "That's freaky," Oz said.

            He was beginning to get a bad vibe from this thing. It was a demon after all, so it was no surprise to him. But it could have been friendly for all he knew.

            "Oz, stop away from him!" Giles shouted, coming up behind him.

            Oz noticed that Faith was behind him.

            "This isn't possible," Giles said, looking at Adam, "Buffy killed you a long time ago."

            "I can never be killed," Adam laughed, "I'm indestructible."

            He punched Oz, causing the man to stumble backwards. Oz wasn't expecting it at all and this made him furious. Suddenly, he began to change. His arms started to grow hair and his fingers became claws. More hair began to grow from his face. His clothes tore as his body began to change.

            "This doesn't look good," Faith murmured.

            Oz was now fully a werewolf and it probably wasn't a good thing for Faith and Giles. Oz had never been predictable before as a werewolf and he probably wasn't now. Oz began to advance on the two. He looked pretty hungry. Things weren't looking good for them at all.

            Meanwhile, Adam was just watching this nice twist of events. He stood, watching the werewolf move closer to his friends. This would be simple. The werewolf would kill the Watcher and the Slayer and then he would easily kill the werewolf. He smirked as the creature jumped towards the two humans.

           Faith shoved Giles out of the way as Oz lunged for her. She grabbed Oz by his hairy neck and tossed him to the side. He landed in the murky sewer waters. Faith walked cautiously towards Adam. She was ready to face him. Giles soon rose to his feet and joined Faith.

            "So you're Adam," Faith said, "You don't look so tough."

            "Be careful Faith," Giles informed, "He's very dangerous."

           Faith walked right up and bunch Adam in the face. He didn't flinch. Faith tried again. This time, Adam caught her fist. He squeezed it, causing her to gasp in pain. He was slowly crushing her hand. She could feel her bones cracking. She began kicking Adam as he squeezed, but he wouldn't release her hand. He got bored very quickly and tossed her across the sewer.

            Oz had come to and he was back to normal. He had slipped his torn clothes back on and snuck around the cyborg. He began searching for a weapon to attack Adam with. Within a few seconds, he discovered a large rock. He carefully picked it up and tossed it at the back of Adam's head. Adam stumbled forward. The rock obviously hurt him. He turned around and swatted Oz away with the back of his hand.

            This time, Faith had charged Adam. She quickly regained her strength for the attack and had risen to her feet. She jumped up and landed on Adam's back. She held on for dear life as he swatted around, trying to knock her off. Then Oz jumped at Adam. Both began hitting him with all their might and it seemed to be working too. Within minutes they had gotten him under control.

            Giles cautiously walked over to examine the creation. Back when Buffy had faced off against Adam, he'd never been able to fully examine this extraordinary being. He quickly noticed some sort of button on the back of the cyborg's neck. Maybe they'd figure out some answers by pressing it.

            He cautiously held out his finger and pressed the button. Faith and Oz stood back, observing what Giles was doing. As Giles pressed the button, Adam reached out and grabbed him by the neck. He quickly lifted Giles off the ground and tightened his grip. Faith and Oz began attacking him again.

            "Self destruct sequence activated," Adam said.

            "Now that doesn't sound too good," Faith replied.

            Her and Oz were back to pounding the cyborg over the head with rocks and anything else they could find. After a few minutes of doing that, Adam dropped Giles to the ground. Giles rolled out of the way and stood up. He rubbed his throat.

            "Ten seconds until self destruct," Adam said.

            In a quick movement, he tossed Faith and Oz aside and went after Giles again. Giles took off running through the sewers. Faith and Oz took off after them.

            "Five seconds."

            Faith and Oz grabbed the cyborg, attempting to hold him with all their strength. But it was becoming too difficult. Giles turned once he realized that Adam was being restrained.

            "Get out of here Giles!" Faith shouted.

            "I'm not leaving you," he replied.

            "You have to!" Oz shouted, "Save yourself! We've got you covered."

            "Never!" Giles exclaimed.

            "Giles, one of us has to get out of here, now go!" Faith yelled.

            Giles took the hint and took off through the sewers. He ran as fast as he could. Who knew how large the explosion would be?  
            "One second."

            As that last second ticked away, Faith and Oz closed their eyes. This was it for them. Adam suddenly exploded in a massive fireball, completely engulfing Faith and Oz. It caused the sewer system to begin to collapse. Giles turned when he heard the explosion and noticed that the ground was beginning to collapse. He began to run once again. He hoped that he'd reach safety soon. That's when dark consumed him and he was no longer in the sewers.

Unknown Location:

            "Am I dreaming?" Xander asked, looking around at his surroundings, "I must be."

            The reason he said this was because he was standing out front of his old high school, Sunnydale High. But it looked exactly like it did before it exploded on the night of his graduation several years ago. It seemed impossible, especially since he'd been in Louisiana just moments before.

            "This isn't right."

            Xander spun around at the sound of the voice. It was a familiar voice. He had heard this voice many times during his years at Sunnydale High and he'd just begun hearing it again lately. It was Angel.

            "You've got that right," Xander replied, "This is weird. One minute we're fighting off vampires and demons and the next minute we're here."

            "This has to be the work of the Goddess," Angel said, "She's messing with us somehow."

            "Angel," Fred said, coming up to the two of them, "Where are we?"

            "Some alternate reality that the Goddess created," he replied, "We need to be on alert at all times."

            Suddenly, the ground began to shake. It seemed as if something very large was headed towards them.

            "What the hell is going on?" Angel asked.

            That's when a large serpent-looking demon crashed through the front of the school. It was the largest demon that any of them had ever seen. It was a demon that Angel and Xander had seen and gone up against in the past. Now the two of them were greatly puzzled. The demon thrusts its head down towards Angel. Its mouth was wide open, ready for a meal.

            At the last second, Angel dove out of the way and the demon got a mouthful of grass and dirt. Fred and Xander ran to help Angel to his feet.

            "What is that thing?" Fred asked.

            "He was the former mayor of Sunnydale," Xander informed, "He ascended into this large snake demon the day of my high school graduation. We beat him though."

            "None of this makes any sense at all," Angel said.

            The Mayor had come to his senses and raised his head high in the air. He was going in for the kill once again. This was going to be too easy for him. He'd eat each of them one by one. The huge demon roared loudly, causing Fred and Xander to shake. They were terrified.

            "Wait a minute," Xander said.

            "What is it?" Angel questioned.

            "Do you think we've gone back in time?" Xander asked.

            "I'm not sure, but why?" Angel asked.

            "Stay here and distract the Mayor," he told Angel, "Fred, come with me."

            "Where are you going?" Angel asked.

            "Keep him busy for a while," Xander informed, "When you see the signal, head towards the library."    

            "What's the signal?" Angel asked.

            "I'll scream," Fred replied.

            "Sounds good," Angel said, "Now get out of here!"

            Xander and Fred took off towards the school. If what Xander believed was true, they could get rid of the Mayor for good. And hopefully he was right. The two dashed through the hallways and ran into the library. Meanwhile, Angel was facing off against the Mayor. The Mayor had lunged at him several times, all failing. The demon knew that Angel would tire soon and then he would eat him. After killing Angel, he would seek out the other two.

            Xander was pleased at what he saw inside the library. It was packed with explosives. Fred was amazed at how that place could contain all the explosives.

            "Well so far so good," Xander said, inspecting the explosives to make sure they were all hooked up to a single detonator.

            "What are we going to do?" Fred questioned.

            "We're going to blow that snake into little bitty pieces," Xander replied.

            "Oh…"

            "Come on, it'll be fun," he said, finished up his inspection.

            "How do you know how to use these?" she asked.

            "Back when I first met Buffy, we were placed under a spell where we turned into our Halloween costumes. I became a soldier. I guess my mind retained some of the information I acquired," he told her.

            "Wow, that's amazing!" she exclaimed.

            "Yeah," he said, "I'm sure you have some pretty interesting stories of your own."

            "A few," she replied, "I'd tell you about them now, but we have to kill this demon."

            "Right, back to work," he said, "Okay, let's get out of here."

            Xander and Fred quickly exited the library and made their way outside. Xander carried the detonator in his hand, being careful not to set it off. The two made sure they were far away from the school and then carefully placed the detonator on the ground. They were in the small wooded area behind the school. Xander checked the connections and gave Fred the go-ahead. Fred screamed as loud as she could.

            Angel was still dodging the Mayor's attacks when he heard the scream. He took off towards the school, running as fast as he could. He ran through the hallways and towards the library. It was strange that he still knew where it was at. The Mayor was right behind him, moving very quickly for such a huge creature. Angel dashed into the library and gasped at what he saw. It was filled with tons of explosives.

            Noticing an open window, he dove through and landed on the ground below. He quickly rose to his feet and limped away from the school as fast as he could. The Mayor slithered into the library and stared in horror. Xander noticed Angel stumbling away quickly. He pushed the detonator, causing the library to explode in a ball of fire. Xander and Fred didn't notice one major detail though. Someone had set up explosives around then in the bushes around them.

            Suddenly, the area around them exploded in a second ball of fire. Fred screamed as the flames engulfed her body. Xander tried to run away, but the flames quickly torched his body as well. The Mayor didn't survive either. The explosion in the school consumed his large demon body, burning him to a crisp. The school completely collapsed to the ground.

            As he heard the second explosion, Angel spun around and gasped in horror. The woods where he'd known Xander and Fred were situated were now on fire. He didn't dare go near the fire to see if they had survived for he'd be dead as well. As he turned to walk away from the scene, tears dripped down the vampire's face. However, he was soon consumed by darkness.


	25. Sacrifices: Episode 25, Part II

Sacrifices

Episode 25 (Part II)

_Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:_

_ Buffy faced off against the Goddess of Evil at the Hellmouth. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang fought off an army of vampires and demons who had come to the goddess's aid as part of the gathering. Buffy was losing to this all-powerful being. Just before killing her, the Goddess froze time and transported Buffy and her friends somewhere unknown. The potentials were left behind, wondering what had happened._

_ First, __Willow__ arrived in a graveyard. It appeared to one from Sunnydale. She soon met up with Wesley and Lorne. Unfortunately, they faced off against the Master. All three were quickly killed in battle. Second, Giles, Oz, and Faith appeared in a sewer somewhere. They faced off against Adam, the cyborg that terrorized Sunnydale when Buffy was in college. Oz and Faith set off Adam's self-destruct system and were killed. Luckily, Giles escaped uninjured. Angel, Xander, and Fred were transported to an alternate dimension, where it seems they are back at Xander's graduation from Sunnydale High. The Mayor attacked and Xander concocted a plan to take out the huge snake demon. While using explosives to kill the Mayor, Xander and Fred are unaware that the woods they were hiding in were full of explosives as well. The two ended up dying and Angel was consumed by darkness._

Unknown Location:

Buffy could feel the wind whipping across her face. It was a rather harsh wind, unlike the ones she had come to know in Haynesville. But it was a familiar wind that she'd felt before. Opening her eyes, she was startled by where she was. The tower, which she lay upon, was unmistakable. She was back in Sunnydale. But that was impossible.

"Buffy!" someone shouted.

It was a familiar voice, perhaps the one of a young girl. Buffy just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Buffy!" she shouted again, "You have to get up! Hurry before Glory arrives!"

Buffy turned and glanced in the direction of the voice. She saw who was calling to her. It was Dawn! She was tied to two poles protruding from the platform which she stood upon. She was wearing some kind of gown. But it was impossible! Dawn was dead. And this had happened before.

"Buffy, please get up," Dawn begged.

Buffy didn't have to be asked again. She quickly rose to her feet and dashed over to her supposedly dead sister. She began to untie the ropes that bound her. Within a few short minutes, Dawn was free. Buffy helped her sister down. Dawn quickly embraced Buffy in a big hug.

"Aw…how touching," came another familiar voice, "The sisters are reunited at last."

Buffy broke off the embrace and spun around to face her opponent. It was Glory, the hell god that she'd faced years before. She began to wonder how all this could be possible.

"I will kill you for interrupting my ritual," Glory said.

She rushed Buffy. She gave Buffy a quick jab to the face, causing her to stumble backwards. She caught Buffy off guard. She hit Buffy across the face again. Buffy bumped into Dawn, causing the young teenager to lose her balance. Dawn stumbled and fell backwards off the tower.

"Dawn!" Buffy shouted, "No!"

She was on her stomach in the blink of an eye. She grabbed her sister by the arm, stopping her from falling for the time being. If she was being given another chance, she sure wasn't going to let her sister die again.

"What a foolish move, slayer," Glory said, "I have you right where I want you."

Glory walked over and kicked Buffy in the ribs. Buffy winced in pain. Glory continued to kick her until she heard a crack. She'd broken Buffy's rib. Buffy didn't release her grip on Dawn. She just lay there, taking all the abuse. Glory was enjoying this. She didn't care about getting home now. It didn't matter if the key fell or not, she was too bent on taking out the slayer.

Just as she was about to kick Buffy again, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see who could possibly be up there. She got a quick jab to her face, causing her to stumble backwards. She tripped over Buffy and fell backwards off the tower. She reached up and grabbed the edge.

Spike had arrived just in time. He and Cordelia had appeared at the bottom of the tower. He didn't know what was going on, but his memory had served him well. He remembered what had happened the first time and realized Buffy must have been at the top. He had startled Glory and gave her a good hit in the face. He dropped down on his stomach and reached down to help Dawn up. With both Buffy and Spike's help, Dawn was standing back on the platform.

"Will someone please explain what is going on?" Cordelia questioned.

"You're asking the wrong person," Buffy replied.

"What?" Cordy asked.

"I have no idea," Buffy said.

"What is Cordelia doing here?" Dawn asked, "Shouldn't she be in Los Angeles?"

"I'll explain everything to you as soon as we get down from here," Buffy told her.

Suddenly, the tower shook violently. Buffy and the others stumbled a bit, but quickly regained their balance.

"Let's go, luvs," Spike said, "We don't want to be up here when this tower falls."

He led the three women to the stairs. It was going to be a long climb back down. Hopefully they'd make it in time.

"No one is leaving this tower but me," Glory said, pulling herself up.

"Oh bloody hell," Spike said, "I knew I should have checked to make sure she fell."

"Cordelia, get Dawn down from here!" Buffy shouted, "Spike and I will handle Glory!"

As the two girls made their way down the tower, it shook violently. The three stumbled, but weren't knocked down. Glory began to approach the two, taunting them. She realized that this would be an easy kill. All she would have to do would be to knock the two of them off and then go after the Key and the other girl.

Spike and Buffy stood their ground as Glory attacked. Buffy blocked her punches and easily knocked her back. She followed up with a side kick. Glory blocked it, however, and sent Buffy spinning off the side of the tower. Luckily, Buffy reached up and grabbed the platform, holding on for dear life.

She went after Spike next. Spike managed to get in a few hits, but Glory gave him a large punch, knocking him backwards. Spike stumbled and nearly fell of the tower. He glanced down briefly to see how Buffy was doing. She was attempting to pull herself up but wasn't succeeding. Glory took his brief distraction to her advantage and gave him a sharp jab to the face.

This time, Spike lost his balance and fell backwards off the tower. He attempted to grab the edge of the platform, but was unsuccessful. Spike reached out and grabbed a metal bar as he fell. He had saved himself for now, but he couldn't hold on for long.

"Hang in there, Spike!" Buffy called, noticing that Spike hadn't fallen.

"That's all I pretty much can do, luv," he answered.

Buffy was still unsuccessful at trying to pull herself up. Her strength was gone. That battle with the Goddess had weakened her greatly. Glory walked over and stepped on Buffy's fingers. Buffy winced in pain, but didn't let go. She knew that if she did, then that would be the end.

Glory stepped on her other hand. Buffy still didn't respond. Glory was becoming frustrated. She reached down and lifted Buffy into the air. She pulled her close to her face.

"Have fun in hell, slayer!" Glory shouted.

"Hope to see you there soon," Buffy replied.

Glory released Buffy from her grip. Buffy fell from the tower. Just as she fell by him, Spike reached out a grabbed her with one hand.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed.

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that she'd been saved. But now they were both in a predicament; they were both stuck there, just hanging.

"Thanks Spike," Buffy said.

That's when the tower began to shake. These were more violent than the ones before. As the tower shook, pieces of metal began to fall from all over. Glory, who was still up on the platform, stumbled and fell off the tower. She wasn't able to grab the edge and fell to her death below. As she hit the ground, the tower began to collapse.

Unfortunately, Dawn and Cordelia hadn't made it off of the tower yet. A large piece of debris fell and smacked Cordelia in the head. She fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Cordelia!" Dawn screamed.

She rushed to the fallen woman's side.

"Wake up, Cordelia!" Dawn screamed, "We have to get off of here!"

Cordelia couldn't hear Dawn. She was out cold. Besides being out, her head was bleeding badly. Dawn began to panic. There was no way she could carry Cordelia down. She would have to leave her. As she began to run down the stairs, a sharp metal bar fell from above. It went right through the teenager's head, killing her instantly.

Meanwhile, Buffy and Spike were still hanging onto a bar. They carefully dodged the debris as it fell, but it was becoming more difficult. There was so much of it. Then, a loud creak echoed through their ears.

"This is the end, luv," Spike said.

"I know," she replied.

"Goodbye, Buffy," he said.

The bar they were hanging from suddenly fell. The two dropped and began their quick descent to the ground below. About halfway to the ground, they were both consumed by darkness.

Unknown Location:

Kennedy opened her eyes. She was lying on her back, looking up at the sky. It was a beautiful sunny day. She stood up and looked at her surroundings. She noticed that she was in Buffy's backyard, back in Sunnydale. But that wasn't possible. Sunnydale had been destroyed. And besides, they were just in a big battle with all these demons and vampires.

She quickly noticed that Axel was lying on the ground near her. She rushed over and woke him up. Helping him to his feet, they both realize that they weren't the only people in the backyard. Two very familiar people were standing there next to a bench, talking.

"Isn't that Buffy?" Axel asked.

"I think so," Kennedy replied, "But this isn't possible."

It seemed all too strange to Kennedy. Both Buffy and Xander looked younger, plus Xander still had his eye. She realized that she must have been dreaming.

"How did we get here?" Xander asked.

"Scenic route," Buffy replied, "Long drive."

"The past few weeks…" Xander said.

"I know," Buffy answered, cutting him off.

"I thought I hit rock bottom…it hurt that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about Spike. It hurt."

"I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"Maybe you would have, if I hadn't given you so many reasons to think I'd be an ass about it."

"Guess we've all done a lot of things lately that we're not proud of."

"I think I've got you beat."

"Wanna compare?" Buffy asked.

"Not so much."

The two smiled at each other. They didn't even notice Axel and Kennedy standing there, watching their whole conversation. It puzzled the too of them greatly.

"I don't know what I'd do…without you and Will," Xander said.

"Let's not find out," Buffy replied, tears in her eyes.

The two embraced in a big hug. Kennedy smiled. She was happy for them. Once they were through, she was going to approach them and find out what had happened.

"I love you," Buffy said, "You know that, right?"

Xander spotted someone over Buffy's shoulder. A look of horror spread across his face when he saw who it was.

"Buffy!" Xander shouted.

Buffy jumped and spun around. Xander stepped up beside her. It was Warren. He was still dressed in the all-black outfit from the night before. He looked pissed.

"You think you can just do that to me?" he questioned, "You think I'd let you get away with that? Think again."

Warren lifted up his arm. It his hand was a gun. His finger pulled the trigger and he began firing at them. Buffy shoved Xander to the ground. The bullet hit Buffy in the chest. She fell to the ground.

As he ran off, Warren continued firing. He laughed as he ran. The remaining two bullets hit both Kennedy and Axel. The one bullet pierced Axel's heart, killing him instantly. He fell to the ground, dead. Kennedy was hit in the stomach. She covered her wound with her hands and stumbled over to where Xander kneeled next to Buffy.

Blood seeped through her fingers as she slowly walked. She could feel herself becoming weak. This was the end. Black spots formed in her eyes. Within a few moments, she was laying face-first on the ground. Her blood pooled in the grass around her.

It was ironic that the bullets had not only hit Buffy, but both Kennedy and Axel. Also, Xander hadn't even noticed that the other two had been shot. He was too busy trying to help Buffy.

Haynesville, Louisiana:

Buffy had just appeared out of no where. The last thing she remembered was falling from the tower after it collapsed. Spike had saved her from falling but they'd both fallen to their death. But she was alive. And now she was back in Haynesville. She looked around and spotted three of her friends, Spike, Angel, and Giles. The three of them were bloody and beaten. She noticed the potentials were standing around too. But the others were no where to be seen.

"Now, now," Jasmine said, appearing out of no where, "It seems that the four of you are the only ones left."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy questioned.

"The others failed in saving themselves," Jasmine informed, "Did you think you were the only one that I transported to another time frame?"

"You killed them?" Buffy questioned.

"Oh no, not me," Jasmine replied, "All your old nemeses took care of them."

Jasmine snapped her finger. Images of her friend's deaths began playing through Buffy's mind like a movie. She saw Wesley, Lorne, and Willow fighting off the Master. All three of them were killed. She was Faith and Oz fighting Adam. The two of them were killed when he exploded. She saw Giles running for his life. She saw Angel, Fred, and Xander defeat the Mayor using explosives. But unfortunately, Xander and Fred were killed in the explosion. Next she saw herself, Spike, and Cordy go up against Glory. She saw Cordy get knocked out and eventually die as the tower collapsed and saw the image that was Dawn get stabbed in the head. She saw herself and Spike fall from the tower. Finally, she witnessed Axel and Kennedy standing in her old backyard as Warren appeared. He had a gun and shot the two of them.

Tears were now dripping down Buffy's face. She couldn't believe what she'd just seen. There was no way that any of that had happened. Giles, Angel, and Spike were now standing behind her, wondering what she'd seen.

"Don't worry," Jasmine said, "I'm sure their much happier where they are now. Or not!"

"Buffy, what's going on?" Giles questioned.

"She killed them," Buffy replied, "Every one of them."

There was look of confusion on Giles's face. He didn't want to believe it, but it must have been true. Spike and Angel didn't quite catch on.

"Don't you fools get it," Jasmine said, "Only the strongest and well-skilled warriors survived; the four of you."

"I still don't get it, mate," Spike whispered to Angel.

"Are you that stupid?" Angel questioned.

"No, I'm just not good at guessing games," Spike replied.

"Oh forget it," Angel murmured.

"And now the final battle begins," Jasmine informed.

In the blink of an eye, Jasmine was right in front of Buffy. She gave Buffy a quick jab across the face, sending her stumbling backwards. Spike and Angel tried to rush to her aid, but they ran into a magikal barrier. It knocked both of them to the ground.

"It's a barrier that she's created," Giles informed, "She wants this fight to be between her and Buffy."

"Bitch didn't have to let us run into the barrier," Spike grumbled as he standing up

Angel didn't say anything. He rose to his feet and stood, watching what was happening. He feared the worst for Buffy. Could she actually take out the Goddess?

After coming to her senses, she retaliated with a punch of her own. Unfortunately, Jasmine caught her fist in midair. Buffy tried a front kick but Jasmine flipped her to the ground before she could hit her target. Before she could kick her, Buffy was up on her feet. She gave Jasmine a roundhouse kick to the head, causing her to stumble to the side.

It barely affected Jasmine and she ran at Buffy, grabbing her by her throat. She lifted Buffy off the ground, tightening her grip. Buffy couldn't breath and began struggling, but it was to no avail. She just couldn't break free.

"You still think you can beat me, girl?" Jasmine questioned.

She tossed Buffy through the air. Buffy hit a pile of rubble, causing it to explode into a cloud of dust and debris. She slowly stood up and ran through the cloud of dust, back towards Jasmine. Jasmine had walked to the edge of the cloud and was waiting for it to clear so she could finish Buffy off.

Buffy came charging through the dust, sending Jasmine flying backwards. She landed on her back and Buffy was there, standing over her. Jasmine pulled back her feet and kicked Buffy in the chest, sending her stumbling back. She rose to her feet and quickly followed up with several punches to the face. Blood was now dripping from Buffy's nose.

Jasmine punched her in the face again. This time Buffy was able to block a few here and there, but most got through. Buffy punched her back, this time catching her off guard. Buffy pushed her back with a kick to the chest. She knew that she couldn't keep this up however. It was obvious to her that she couldn't defeat Jasmine.

Meanwhile, Giles had gone over to check on the potentials. They were all still okay. They had very few injuries from the battle with the demons and vampires. They were just watching Buffy losing to the Goddess and were terrified at what would happen next.

"Mr. Giles," Danielle asked, "What's going to happen when she's finished with Buffy?"

"I'm not quite sure," Giles answered.

"She'll probably kill us first and then go after Spike, Angel, and you," Liz said to him.

"Let's not think that way, girls," Giles said, trying to make them feel better.

"Oh come on," Julia said, "You know it's true. You're just trying to make us feel better."

"Okay, you're right," Giles replied, "But have faith in Buffy. She can do this."

"Do you actually believe that?" Vi asked.

"She's right," Eve said, "Look at how badly she's doing. The Goddess is going to win."

"And it's plainly obvious," Ashley added.

Giles felt bad. There seemed to be nothing he could do to lift their spirits. He couldn't tell them that he knew Buffy couldn't win and that this was the end. Buffy was crumbling under the strength of this powerful entity.

"You are pathetic, slayer!" Jasmine said as she continued to knock Buffy around.

Buffy didn't reply. She had no comebacks left. The end was nearing and she could feel it. She couldn't keep this up for much longer. She was growing weaker and weaker from every attack. Jasmine didn't seem to be getting week at all.

As Jasmine came at Buffy again, Buffy gave another roundhouse kick. However, Jasmine caught her foot once again. She flipped Buffy, sending her to the ground. Buffy grunted in pain as she hit the ground. Jasmine stood, towering over the injured slayer.

"I hate to say it, but this is the end," Jasmine said, "I had fun though."

Jasmine snapped her finger and her curved sword appeared in her hands. She held it high above Buffy, preparing to slice the girl's head off. There was fear in Buffy's eyes. This was it; this was the end. She'd tried her best, but she'd failed. That wouldn't mean anything though. As soon as she was dead, Jasmine would spread her power throughout the world and completely destroy it.

Right as Jasmine was about to bring the sword down, Buffy remembered something. There was still hope for her and for the world. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the orb. It was glowing when she pulled it out. Buffy wondered why, but quickly dismissed the thought as she realized that Jasmine had brought the sword down to her side.

"What the hell is that?" she asked.

"The thing that will defeat you," Buffy replied, standing up.

The orb began to glow brighter every second. Outside the barrier, Giles and the others watched on in confusion. They all wondered what was going on.

"Nice try, slayer," Jasmine said, "You're foolish magik tricks may have distracted me, but I'm through screwing around."

She jabbed the sword forward, towards Buffy's chest. Unbelievably, the sword was stopped. The orb had protected Buffy from the attack. That's when the ground began to shake violently and began to crack open.

"Foolish slayer," Jasmine said, "You're helping to release hell on earth. Hell is now merging with the earth."

The orb began to grow brighter as the ground cracked open. Demons arms began to shoot up from the cracks in the ground. They were trying to get out. A hand reached up and grabbed Buffy's leg. However, Buffy didn't move. Suddenly, the cube released a wave of energy. It shattered the barrier that the Goddess had created and caused all the demon arms to explode.

"What is going on?" Jasmine asked, obviously confused.

The orb continued getting brighter until it was too bright to stare out. The potentials' bodies began to glow as well. It seemed as if they had some connection to the orb. Within a few minutes, the potential's stopped glowing. As soon as that happened, they all fell to the ground. Giles rushed to their aid and discovered that they were all dead. He was very puzzled.

As Buffy held onto the orb, it felt like she was gaining power. It was very strange. That's when she put two and two together. The orb had drained the energy from the potentials and was now transferring it to her. She could now feel the power radiating throughout her body. Once the orb stopped glowing, Buffy placed it on the ground.

"You think you're fancy magik tricks will save you?" Jasmine asked.

She pulled her fist back and gave Buffy a jab to the chest. However, Buffy reached out and caught her fist. Jasmine stared at Buffy in disbelief. She looked at Buffy and noticed that her eyes were now completely dark.

"This i-isn't p-possible," she stuttered.

Buffy let go of Jasmine's fist and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying through the air. Jasmine landed on the ground several feet away. She stood up and quickly came at Buffy once again. She reached out and grabbed for Buffy's neck. Buffy grabbed her wrist and flipped the Goddess over her head.

Jasmine was terrified. She didn't know how this could be possible. One minute she was beating Buffy and now she was getting beaten herself. It didn't make sense, unless it had something to do with that orb. Buffy turned around and lifted Jasmine into the air by her neck. She tightened her grip, choking Jasmine. She eventually tossed Jasmine through the air once again. Jasmine now lay in the dirt. She realized that she had to get to that orb and destroy it. Then she could kill Buffy.

She rose to her feet and ran towards the orb. It was sitting all by itself in the dirt. There was no doubt in her mind that she couldn't get it. Buffy didn't go after her. She just stood there and watched. Right as Jasmine was about to reach the orb, it glowed again. This time, it opened up and large hole in the ground. Jasmine stood at the edge of the hole, realizing that now it was hopeless.

She turned around and saw that Buffy was right behind her. She was now holding a sword, ready to attack. She jabbed the sword forward, plunging it into Jasmine's chest. Jasmine screamed in pain as the sword penetrated her body. There was something magikal about the sword. It had been enhanced with some sort of energy. It was destroying her insides completely.

Buffy pulled the sword out and shoved Jasmine backwards, into the hole. Jasmine fell into the darkness and eventually disappeared. The orb flashed one final time, closing what could be considered Jasmine's tomb. As Buffy dropped the sword to the ground, the energy of all the potentials slayers left her body. Buffy collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.

Several Hours Later:

Buffy opened her eyes. She felt a warm breeze blow across her face. As she sat up, she hoped that all that she remembered hadn't been a dream. She prayed that it wasn't. As she looked around, she noticed Giles, Angel, and Spike standing a short ways off.

Out of the corner of his eye, Giles noticed that Buffy was awake. He dashed past Angel and Spike and ran to her aid. Spike and Angel followed him.

"Buffy, you're awake!" Giles exclaimed.

"I did it," Buffy said.

Buffy rose to her feet and walked away from the three men. They followed her however. She slowly made her way over to the closest body. It was Liz's body, one of the potentials.

"I beat her," Buffy said, "But not without a great cost. I lost the lives of all my friends and all the potentials. Whistler was right. He didn't mean that the world would literally be destroyed. He meant that my world would be destroyed. And it has been. I've lost all the people I've ever known. They're gone, all of them. Except for the three of you."

Giles, Angel, and Spike stood there, listening closely to everything that she said. They didn't say a word.

"I guess that's what my gift was. The First Slayer once told me that death was my gift. I thought that I'd figured it out before I died the second time, but I was wrong. She meant what I had originally thought. She meant that I would eventually lose everyone that I knew."

Tears were now dripping down her face.

"I saved the world, again. But I lost so much. I'm finished. I'm leaving. I'm through with this job. I've lost everything that I've ever known. And I can't deal with this anymore. Goodbye."

Buffy turned and walked into the darkness. None of the three guys moved to go after her. They just watched her figure disappear into the darkness. It was the last that any of them ever saw of her

The three of them stood there, not saying anything to each other. They just stared into each other's eyes. They knew that this was it; it was time to go their separate ways. Spike turned and left first. Angel and Giles stayed, still staring at each other.

"Thanks for all your help," Giles said.

"Anytime Giles," Angel replied.

The two turned and walked off in different directions. Angel took off after Spike though.

"Spike, wait up!" Angel called, running after the other vampire.

Spike turned and came face to face with his rival.

"What do you want, mate?" Spike questioned.

"You up to coming back and helping me run Wolfram and Hart?" Angel asked.

"Are you serious?" Spike questioned.

Angel held out his hand. Spike stared at it for a second; then put his forward. The two shook hands. Afterwards, they turned and disappeared into the darkness, heading back home, to Los Angeles.


End file.
